Trouble In Paradise
by NixiexGrey
Summary: While on a cruise ship around the Caribbean, the Garroway family finds paradise a difficult thing to achieve, especially Clary. Possible one-shot.
1. You Think You're Cooler Than Me?

**So while I was on a cruise around the Caribbean Islands, I was hit by sudden inspiration. Why not use my own personal experience, stretch it out a bit with some fantasy, and turn it into a story? Huh. Why not?**

**So of course I wrote a Fanfiction! Here it is :) Critiques and reviews are welcome so long as they're kind or don't write anything at all, that's fine. - Rhyme.**

"Wicked!" Simon Garroway exclaimed as the Garroway family poured into the main lobby of the ship. He turned his eager eyes to his twin sister Clary and smiled even wider when he saw his ecstatic-ness was reciprocated.

"Agreed," Clary laughed. Simon looked old enough to be their age, but when it came to acting it…well, that was another story all together.

She scanned the massive lobby and drank in the wide bar off to the side near the shore excursions desk that she was standing in front of, with its vibrant teal barstools that complimented the entire ship's sea theme. Clary's jaw dropped as her eyes rolled up the sides of the lobby and noticed that the ship was laid out quite like a decker cake: there were several floors and even though the lobby was towards the front of the ship, it was like the hollowed out center, where everyone met up.

Her roaming eyes stumbled upon a pair of amber ones that belonged to a curly blond-haired, evenly tanned skin boy–who Clary realized was staring at her with such intensity, she dropped her gaze immediately. But not before she noticed he was sitting to a much paler version of himself.

"I thought mom said this would be a fun cruise," Clary mumbled to Simon.

"Yeah, she did?" Simon answered, unsure of himself. "Why?"

Clary lifted her head an inch, gesturing to the two angelic boys who were seated at the bar. Simon followed her gesture, then chuckled. "Oh come _on,_ Clary. There aren't many places you can go to completely avoid the male population forever. In fact, being anywhere near me technically counts as being near the male influence."

"Yeah, but unlike any other guy, you won't hit on me," she pointed out.

Simon winced. "Okay, you've got me there. But who are you to say that those guys will? If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you're a little conceited."

"Conceited people are that way because they're in love with themselves," Clary snorted, then lowered her voice when her mother–who was currently waiting for the lady behind the counter to return with the shore excursion tickets to come back–raised an inquiring eyebrow. "I'm this way because of–"

"–some weird recurring dream you've been having for the past month," Simon finished for her. "Or should I say nightmare?"

Clary flushed. She hadn't given him much detail for the first time ever because even though she'd woken up drenched head-to-toe in her own sweat, the dream itself wasn't what had her spooked. No, it was how the dream felt so _real_.

In the dream, she was wearing a slate-gray dress that hugged her every curve, even the ones she didn't know she had, and her hair was piled up on top of her hair–as confirmed by the extra weight added to her head and the cool breeze tickling her neck.

At first it was just her and Simon, his arms encircling her waist as they spun around in a waltz in an unfamiliar ballroom.

Simon ducked his head and gave Clary a polite smile. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Clary pulled back a bit to gaze at the ballroom around her and noticed that the arched ceiling was all glass so that she could see the stars in the midnight sky winked at her like encrusted diamonds in black satin. As Simon led her around in a circle with the rest of the dancers, Clary gawked in awe when she took in the fountain that dominated the center of the room. On it was a beautiful mermaid maiden holding a basin of water that spilled into the fountain in a never-ending stream.

Clary gasped as her wandering eyes fell onto the boy who was now holding her in his arms when she realized it was no longer Simon; no, in his stead was a tall golden boy with curly blond hair and amber eyes that pierced Clary's very soul.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Those were Simon's words a moment before, but he sounded nothing like Simon. His voice was a whisper, but the way he spoke was as intimate to Clary as a gentle caress, which gave Clary the idea that he wasn't just talking about the ballroom.

"Yes," she sighed happily as she leaned her head against the soft white tuxedo that the boy wore. She subtly took a whiff of his scent and categorized it as a blend of soap and clean laundry. Crisp, clean and lovely.

Clary barely registered the orchestra in the background as the boy bowed his head towards her and began to lower his eyelashes, a sign that he was about to kiss her. And for some reason, this was always the part where Clary began to panic–really and truly panic–for her dear life.

Pulling out of her reverie, Clary pondered why she was dreaming of this boy whom she'd never met before and why she feared him so much. But as she watched the two blond boys hop off their barstools with a somewhat arrogant gait–the tanner one turned around and gave her a cryptic look–she had a sinking feeling that she was going to get her answer much sooner than she thought possible.

"Earth to Clary," Simon laughed, waving his hand in front of her face and cutting off her view of the two boys slipping into the elevator. "Do you read me? Earth to–"

"Gosh Simon," Clary scowled, slapping his hand away. "Why are you so annoying?"

He frowned. "Your eye was twitching in that 'gazing-into-space way and it was freaking me out."

Her jaw dropped. _"My eye does _not _twitch when I'm thinking!_ Or in general."

"It does, hon," Luke admitted with an apologetic smile. "But in a cute way."

"It's not cute," Jocelyn chided. "It makes her look…murderous. Like she's plotting to kill someone."

"Mom!" Clary couldn't believe her ears.

"Yeah," Simon went on as if he didn't hear her. "More like plotting to take over the world. Like a dictator!"

"Simon!" Clary and Jocelyn said in unison while Luke poorly disguised his laughter by coughing. But that wasn't what bothered Clary; what did was that after Simon told her that her eye was twitching, she heard a familiar laughter surround her like a gentle breeze that no one else seemed to hear.

Clary wasn't able to sleep at all when evening took over. Dinner threatened to force itself out of her body one way or another and the rocking of the boat that Simon found soothing was making Clary see double. So when she'd requested to sleep outside on the balcony, it was only natural that her family gaped at her as if she'd sprouted wings and told them she was an angel.

"Oh _c'mon_," Clary whined. "I won't roll of into the ocean or something. I just want some fresh air and maybe hearing the waves instead of just feeling them might be therapeutic for me."

Jocelyn looked from Luke's mask of uncertainty to Simon's constant look of concern for his twin's sanity and finally nodded. "All right then. Since I whisked you away to this cruise against your protests, I guess the least I can do is let you sleep wherever you want to. Just promise me that you'll take a blanket and pillow with you, okay?"

Clary nodded eagerly, hugged her mother tightly and grabbed a pillow and blanket before heading out.

Using the two chairs as her makeshift bed, Clary quickly threw on the cover and leaned back against the pillow so that she had the perfect view of the full moon shining in all its glory in the sky and reflected on the black ocean water's surface as a silvery ribbon.

Clary's finger twitched in the way it always did whenever she wanted to have a pencil and paper in hand so that she could capture the image forever, preserving it in both memory and paper.

But it was too late to back into the room now because the lights in the room were off, indicating that her family had already nodded off. Clary smiled as she pictured Simon taking advantage of her lack of presence by dominating the queen mattress he now had to himself, his iPod ear buds blasting whatever song he fell asleep listening to. She giggled despite herself and only stopped when her ears picked up a guitar being tuned.

She strained her ears to hear the song the guitar was now playing over the crashing waves and realized that the music was coming from the balcony right under her own. As quietly as she could manage, she tiptoed to the class barricade and peered over.

At first, she didn't see anything, but then the music suddenly stopped and a familiar curly blond head popped out onto the balcony below her and peeked up at her. She felt her heart pound against her ribs as he threw her a brief smile, then disappeared again.

Clary pushed herself back into the chair and took a few slow breaths to steady herself, but couldn't stop the smile that played on her lips as she saw that brief smile again in her mind. And then the music started playing again, this time, accompanied by a beautiful tenor voice.

"_If I could write you a song to make you fall in love,_

_I would already have you up under my arm._

_I used up all of my tricks, I hope that you like this._

_But you probably won't, you think you're cooler than me…"_

She knew the lyrics immediately and felt her smile widen as she realized how completely cheesy this guy was being to her. Mike Posner originally wrote the song, but the way the boy sang it–with a voice that had the same rasp as Mike but was much smoother like Michael Buble's voice–made it sound like it was totally his own song. Clary felt herself swoon right there, but refused to let it take over all her. He was still a stranger to her, no matter how _familiar_ he looked or felt to her.

After the boy strummed the last few chords, letting the sound resonate true yet soft, he waited, expectantly, for any sign of appreciation from the girl. But after waiting for a few silent minutes, the boy stood up, set aside the guitar, and strained his ears to hear anything. Then, he heard a soft snore and he smiled. _So she's asleep_, he mused.

Sitting back down on the chair, he propped his feet up on the other and before he knew it, the melodic crashing waves sent him spiraling down into the dream world, where he was met by a fiery redhead with eyes that put emeralds to shame.

**So it took a while to actually finish this because I couldn't decide between which songs for a certain boy to play, but I finally decided and I want to know what you guys think. Continue or just one-shot? LET ME KNOW!**


	2. Definitely The One

**Random update! So I was dreaming of this story last night when this scene came to mind and well, I just had to! Jace was enticing me to do it, so blame him! And on a sidenote: **_**I FINISHED A PERSONAL STORY FOR ANYONE WHO IS A FAN OF MY WRITING! THE FIRST FIVE CHAPTERS AND PROLOGUE IS UP ON A WEBSITE CALLED INKPOP(dot)COM AND THE LINK IS ON MY PROFILE SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE READ IT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ON THE SITE! THE MORE VIEWS AND COMMENTS I GET, THE MORE LIKELY IT'LL BE A BOOK AND THEN YOU ALL GET TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO AUTUMN AND LIAM! **_**Thank you for taking the time to read that. Your reward? This chapter :)**

_Songs for this chapter:_

_Obsession-Sky Ferreira (Izzy & Clary singing it; I honestly can't get this song stuck out of my head. It's been in there for about two months now.)_

_The One-Black Mustang (Jace singing; Such a dirty song but I can't help thinking that this is what Jace _could_ sound like…but somewhat different, y'know?)_

**For the full effect of thoroughly enjoying this chapter, I highly recommend reading it while listening to the songs during their proper sections, m'kay?**

"Oh come _on_, Clary!" Izzy trilled as they entered the club. It had been the first day of shore excursions on St. Thomas and Clary spent the day with her family and the Lightwoods–a family that she met while on the excursion–as the group for that day went ashore to tour the Caribbean Island.

Clary and Izzy immediately clicked from the start while Alec Lightwood and the youngest, Max, trailed behind the girls making small talk to fill the awkward void. Clary was pleased to see that Jocelyn and Luke were friendly with Maryse and Robert and couldn't help but scream in delight when she found out that they too lived in the city.

After the shore excursion, Clary and Izzy went back to their own cabins–which, were also a room away from each other–to get washed up for dinner and the night activities.

Tonight's activity was Karaoke night, which set Clary on edge. She was convinced she couldn't carry a note to save the life of her, but when Izzy forced her to sing a line from a song, Izzy begged to differ.

"You have an amazing voice!" Izzy had exclaimed, but Clary was sure she just wanted to convince Clary to come with her to flirt with the older boys. That was also another thing that offset her; the fact that she was only sixteen and her parents said it was fine to sneak in since she was going to be with the Lightwoods and Alec was already eighteen. Simon was delighted; Clary, was, well…the feeling was unrequited.

"I'm nervous," Clary admitted as she was half-dragged into the club. The bouncer didn't even ask for ID; all Izzy did was flash him a smile and wink, and they were in. Clary wondered how often this happened with Izzy and shuddered. At least the cruise was now guaranteed to be fun–Izzy didn't seem to give off the "meek and reserved" impression.

"Don't be," Izzy giggled loudly enough for a few boys to hear and turn to ogle at her. Tossing her hair over her shoulder so that it almost whipped the boys in the face, she grinned wickedly. "We're going to have fun. Tons of it. So much, you'll thank me for it later."

Clary gulped audibly and was glad that the music overhead was loud enough to make any noise softer than screaming mute. The dizzying lights threw crazy neon patterns over her arms and she smiled, recalling the time she went laser tagging with Simon and they got into a dispute over whether or not he had tagged her since he had a "spazzy gun" according to him.

Thinking of Simon, she spun around, wondering where he was. She couldn't see well through the dry fog, but when she squinted, she was almost sure she spotted him talking to a brunette. She half-smiled; even _Simon_ was having more fun than her, the King of all Party-poopers.

"All right," she smiled at Izzy. "I want to have funs. Tons of it. Make me thank you for it later!"

"That's my girl," Izzy cackled, throwing her hair over her shoulder as they moved towards the dance floor.

* * *

So apparently, the Karaoke session of the night wasn't going to happen until midnight, when more than third fourths of the club was inebriated since the drinking age in the Caribbean was eighteen. When Izzy dragged Clary up to the bar, Clary took advantage of the dancing break and plopped down in a stool in front of the bar. While Izzy ordered two Cokes for them, Clary glanced up at the digital clock mounted above the bar and gasped. Midnight was just five minutes away.

"I'll have the same that she's having," a boy shouted from behind her. She turned around in her chair to see a cute brunette standing behind me with his hands over his head, desperately attempting to flag down the bartender who was too preoccupied ogling at Izzy.

"Two more Cokes, please," she leaned in and shouted at the bartender. He shot her a dirty look, but detached himself from Izzy long enough to pour out two more Cokes and slide them Clary's way.

"On the house," he grumbled, leaning in again to flirt with Izzy.

"Here you go," Clary smiled, feeling her cheeks burn as she took in the high cheekbones, strong jaw line, straight nose and long eyelashes that framed his dark brown eyes. He smiled back at her and turned around to reveal a similar-looking girl donning too much makeup and scant clothing that was ripped in very suggestive places.

"Thanks," he laughed. "I was waiting _forever_ to get his attention. Jeez, maybe I should consider getting myself a pair of boobs to use to my advantage."

"And a prettier face," the girl smirked. "You can have nice tits all you want, but you have to be nice on the eyes too. That's key." When the girl noticed Clary, her eyes widened and she grinned. "I'm Aline Penhallow." Gesturing to the boy with her thumb, she added, "This is my cousin, Sebastian Verlac."

"Clary Garroway," Clary replied, sticking out her hand. Aline grabbed it and shook it once.

"Oh, so _you're _Simon's sister!" she exclaimed. "He's really cute, but not my type. No offense."

"Uh...none taken?"

"Girl is more her type," Sebastian eye-rolled while Aline giggled.

"Oh uh, well, um," Clary said tentatively. What was a normal reaction to that kind of comment? You can't really blame her, since she had no gay friends or anything–not that she was homophobic. "I like the penis, sorry."

"No problem with that," Aline shrugged. "We all got our preferences, right?"

But before Clary could reply, her face already burning with mortification, she was saved by the abrupt pause in blaring music and had to cup her hands over her ears to keep them from ringing. Had the music really been _that_ loud?

"All right, all right, all _righty _then!" a short man with spiky frosted blond hair and bronze skin yelled into the microphone, so that his irritating high-pitched voice resounded from all over the room. "Now as I'm sure all of you are aware–or not, who knows at this point? Better yet, who cares? We got an unlimited bar over here!"

He paused for a few chuckles at his poorly attempted joke before continuing. "Anyway, tonight is Karaoke night! And you know what that means?" An overwhelming amount of groans and protests, but none seemed to faze the man. Clary had to give him credit for being able to maintain that irritating smile on his face when it was clear no one seemed to care.

"Sing-offs!" the man said in a sing-song tone. "And here's the catch: if you win any of the three places, you earn–wait for it–a chance to be nominated for the surprise grand prize! And let me tell you folks, it's totally worth it–literally. It involves cash, and a lot of it."

The club-goers all roared with approval and before Clary knew it, Karaoke night was in high gear. The activities director–his name was Paul–had explained that while having a good voice would be beneficial to both yours and everyone else's ears, how you won the contest was simple: you had to have the highest approval rate. This meant the club-goers had to like you the most, and while Clary would've preferred the "good voice" way, though she had to admit it was quite entertaining to see the most enthusiastic people were the ones with the worst voices because they were desperate to win.

"Are you ready?" Izzy whispered to Clary from beside her. She turned to face Izzy and gave her a questioning look. "We're up next, duh." She pointed at the glowing screen next to the stage that she hadn't noticed was there and gasped in horror when she saw what it said:

**Up Next:**

**Dynamic Duo-Lightwood, Izzy and Garroway, Clary**

"Dynamic _Duo_?"

Izzy shrugged. "Alec gave me the idea and since I couldn't come up with anything else, well, it seemed to fit."

_Lovely,_ Clary mused. _Not only will I make a complete idiot out of myself, but I also have a weird nickname to go along with it._

As the drunkard up stage wrapped up his act, Clary took several deep yoga breaths to steady herself before walking upstage beside Izzy. Izzy winked at her before signaling a countdown to the DJ.

As the music started up, Clary closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the microphone stand to keep herself from puking. _Don't worry, you'll do fine. What's the worst that could happen?_

Izzy started up the song:

"_Listen up I'm gonna tell bit about myself,_

_I got a situation ain't concerning nobody else…"_

Upon opening her eyes, Clary's gaze fixated on a certain blond boy's smirk directly below her and she immediately choked up. Izzy shot her a desperate look as she went into the second-to-last line in the first verse and Clary immediately zoned out, closing her eyes again to channel only the music.

"_So here's my confession,_

_This time, this time,_

_Don't just want you to love me._

_I want to be your attention,_

_This time, this time,_

_Want my name on the Marquee…"_

As Clary gained confidence by singing through the chorus, she opened up her eyes again and focused on anything but the boy below her. This seemed to help as she eased her way through the second verse and by the time they sang the hook and chorus again, Clary was comfortably shimmying her hips besides Izzy.

"_Ain't nothing wrong with OCD_

_Long as it's for me, long as it's for me…"_

Izzy went back-to-back with Clary as they lifted up their microphones, belting out the final chorus like no other:

"_I want you to want me,_

_I want you to need me,_

_I want you to hear my confession_

_I want to be your obsession…"_

As the music came to a halt, the audience erupted into cheers and Clary felt her face flame up while Izzy bowed, accepting the cat-calls and hooting as appraise. Clary kept her eyes fixed on the ground as she made her way down the stage until she felt someone brush against her.

Looking up, her face flushed all over again and Clary mentally swore against it when she realized it was the boy. He was even _more _gorgeous in person–if that was even humanly possible–a few inches away from her.

"Good performance," the boy smirked, but the message seemed sincere enough.

"Thanks," she blushed.

"Too bad it wasn't good enough to win the competition," he laughed, a beautiful sound that would've been sweet if it hadn't been for him taunting her. Clary openly gaped as he took the stage–which was now set up with just one microphone, a stool, and a blue-and-white Fender Stratocaster electric guitar.

"What was that all about?" Izzy asked, her eyes shooting daggers at the boy as he set up.

"I don't know," Clary admitted, her eyes glued onto the monitor that announced the contestants. But she missed his name because it only stated who was going up after him. Clary sighed in frustration and stared up at the boy as he tuned up his guitar.

Much to her dismay of not knowing his name, she couldn't quell the excitement that bloomed inside of her, already knowing that he would sound amazing regardless of the song. She had, after all, heard him last night.

Since Clary had never been to a concert before, hearing the drums start up startled her. Glancing around, she saw no drummer and figured that the boy was just playing the guitar part of a song that surprisingly had a catchy rhythm to it. Sneaking a peek from her periphery, she noticed Izzy was even swaying to the music.

Then, he started to sing.

"_Hey suga, you're so hard to please,_

_The way you lookin' got me weak at the knees,_

_And I could be your boy so easy,_

_And you could be the girl to please me…"_

Clary felt an unfamiliar warmth course throughout her body, one that wasn't uncomfortable, but was actually nice. It made her keep her eyes trained on the boy, made her keep it there even when he trained his eyes on hers and gave her a sly grin as he kept singing.

"_She's the one you need no other,_

_She's the one, her love generator…"_

As he continued to play and sing, he started to shake his hips to the music but never once removed his gaze from her. It felt all too personal, too intimate that everyone around them faded to the background. It was only him and her, him singing his emotions right out to her.

"_Now I feel like never before,_

_Got the devil knocking on my door…"_

The girl, Clary, swayed to the music, unable to stop herself, which caused Jace's coy smile to grow. As much as he didn't like to admit it, the way she reacted to him was incredible. He fed off of it like she was his only energy source and because he wielded some sort of power over her, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

He wanted to test his theory out on her while she was performing, to see how much of an influence he had on her, so he weaved his way towards the front for her to see him. And when she spotted him, she immediately turned a color so bright, so vibrant, her red hair looked pale in comparison.

When the song came to an end, he grinned in arrogance as the cheers–much louder than the ones Clary received–shook up the entire place. He set the guitar down on its stand and sauntered off stage towards his brother, Jonathan, when a familiar redhead crossed his path. But whereas she'd look like she enjoyed herself while he was on stage, she had a stance of defiance before him.

"Told you so," he teased, reveling the blush that spread across her cheekbones.

"You won't win," she countered. She was acting on the defense instead of ogling at him, which in Jace's mind, was an extreme turn-on. He loved the chase, but only when he was the one running while being in charge simultaneously. He never had this happen before, and the novelty of it all excited him.

"Oh? That so?" he asked innocuously. "And how do you know?" Braving a step forward, he leaned in so that his lips were a mere inch away from her ear. "I believe it's up to the audience, not up to you."

Letting her go, he sidestepped her and walked right up to his brother, not even sparing a glance towards Clary's direction. He knew he had royally pissed her off, but at the same time, turned her onto him even more. As much as girls didn't admit to it, they were helpless when it came to a boy who knew all the right things to say, rude or kind. That's where his honesty policy came in; telling the truth almost 90% of the time worked for them, but they didn't have to know the other 10% so long as it wasn't another girl.

"Can't we go away somewhere without you hitting on at least one girl?" Jonathan scoffed, shaking his head.

"In my defense, they initiate it and while I try to politely talk them out of it, they throw themselves at me," Jace shrugged. "I guess it comes with the curse of being stunningly attractive."

"You're impossible," Jonathan chided, but the wicked glint in his eyes said otherwise.

**So what do you all think? I sure enjoyed it :)**

**Clary: Did I really blush that much that night?**

**Jace: You sort of looked like you were suffering from a severe case of rosacea...**

**Izzy: Either that or maybe an allergic reaction. Do you even have allergies?**

**Simon: Nah, but she has a tendency to turn really bright red like she is now whenever she's mortified, which happens a lot.**

**Jace: That's kind of kinky, if you think about it.**

***Silence***

**Jace: What? At least I'm being honest.**

**Izzy: Do I even want to know what you think is 'kinky' and what isn't?**

**Jace: No, but Clary does.**

**Clary: Ugh, shut up. All of you. Really.**

**Simon *horrified*: That's not a denial! Oh c'mon! Gross...**

**Jace: Man up, Simon. Your sister isn't five anymore. Human reproduction is–**

**Everyone except Jace: SHUT. UP.**


	3. Forgive Me If I Stutter

**Back to school has my nerves all fried up and stressed out (and I only have this one night left!), so what better way to let it all out and get yourself lost in a story of your own? I miss the Caribbean, and this story isn't helping, but it's just too good to stop updating for! This one and my other story _Guiltless_ have been my recent updates. I hope you guys make time to read and review but don't forget to enjoy :)**

_Chapter Song:_

_For You I Will by Teddy Geiger (When Jace is serenading Clary yet again...siiiiggghhh, I'm jealous of my own figment of imagination, this clearly isn't good for my sanity.)_

_Teenage Dream by Katy Perry (Every time I hear this song, I always associate it with the beach...maybe it's because I love the music video? Quite possibly. But this isn't really being used until they are actually snorkeling *slight spoiler!* If you review this chapter and motivate me enough, you'll know what I'm talking about!)_

_

* * *

_

"And the winner of tonight's Karaoke Sing-Off is…" Paul paused to air-drumroll. "Jace Morgenstern of room 7-324! Come up here, Jace, to collect your prize!"

Izzy and Clary groaned simultaneously as Jace–_the boy, _Clary smiled. _Now I finally know his name!_–walked up the stage but didn't walk across it to 'collect' his prize.

"Uh, Jace?" Paul laughed. "We're over here, boy."

"I know that," Jace deadpanned. "But I'm not a 'boy', first off and secondly, I don't want my prize. Someone else can have it."

While the audience cheered, Paul stared at Jace as if he were about to have an aneurysm–and by the way the prominent vein in his temple twitched, Clary figured he was. "Wha-what do you mean, you don't want the prize?" Paul's face was shiny with a layer of sweat.

"Exactly what I said," Jace stated matter-of-factly. "I don't want it. I don't deserve it, either. So you can just go ahead and give it to someone else, okay?"

"B-but, no one's ever _not_ wanted a prize that consisted of money," Paul joked, his eyes darting to the audience for comfort, but like all the times he'd told a joke before, no one laughed. But unlike those times, Clary figured they weren't laughing not because he lacked in the humor department, but because of the serious situation at hand.

"Look," Jace sighed, clearly irritated. "I'll dumb it down for you: I. No. Want. Money. Okay? Is that too hard to understand or is your head too high up your ass that you can't hear anything?"

Paul's dumbfounded expression changed to one of rage for a second, until he changed it for a forced smile. "You are just a jokester, aren't you? All right then, let's give the prize to someone who hasn't _completely_ lost it. The runner-ups are…_The Dynamic Duo!_"

Even when Izzy gripped Clary tightly as she hopped up and down, screaming in merriment, Clary couldn't bring herself to cheer along with the rest of the audience. Her ears were in shock and her body felt numb. Why _had_ Jace stepped down? Was it because he really didn't want the money or was it because of her, because he knew she had come in second place?

Jace must have felt her staring at him because his head snapped in her direction and when he gave her the smallest of smiles with a tiny wave, Clary figured out the answer probably lied within the latter of the two choices.

"Did I not promise you you'd thank me later for making you have the greatest time of your life or what?" Izzy gushed as they stood outside Izzy's cabin.

"You promised," Clary sighed, but in content. Leaning in, they embraced for a second before Clary pulled back. "And now it's time for me to keep up my end of the bargain: thanks so much, Miss Isabelle Lightwood, for playing a major part of why my night was so awesome tonight. I had so much fun!"

"Yay!" Izzy squealed. "And you are very much welcome, Miss Clarissa Garroway!"

After exchanging goodbyes, both girls went to their own cabins. As she stepped inside, Clary was shocked to see her parents were still up, Simon just coming out of the shower since he had left an hour ago, complaining that the "horrible, ear-splitting vocals reminds me of my band back at home, specifically screechy Eric".

Pulling out the five thousand dollar check–one half of the full cash prize–from her pocket, Clary gave her parents a quick recap of what had happened the night, leaving out the details of Jace since she didn't feel comfortable talking about any boys to them just yet.

"Oh, honey!" Jocelyn beamed, holding out the check in front of her. "That's amazing! I'm so proud of you."

While Jocelyn and Clary hugged, Luke chuckled, "Another one for college funding right there."

"So are you still going to sleep outdoors tonight or will I have to sacrifice half of the bed with you?" Simon asked, his pleading expression making the choice all the more obvious.

"I like being outdoors," Clary smiled. "The waves are so soothing." _And so is Jace's guitar playing…_

"Then it's settled," Luke beamed, still flustered over his daughter's earnings.

"We're so proud of you, Clarissa," Jocelyn smiled, hugging her daughter one more time. "You're really coming out of your shell, now."

"Finally," Simon snorted as he settled into bed.

* * *

It was around four thirty in the morning when Clary heard the first string being tuned up. She had been lying awake for two hours already, too jittery to be able to sleep. Maybe it wasn't the waves that soothed her at all; maybe it was Jace's guitar, and without it, she was sleepless.

Throwing the sheets off and sitting up, Clary walked over to the edge of the balcony and leaned over just a bit in hopes of seeing him again. But to her disappointment, she couldn't. Plopping down on her makeshift bed, Clary leaned back and closed her eyes to filter out anything that wasn't related to the beautiful music Jace was playing.

"_Wondering the streets, in a world underneath it all_

_Nothing seems to be, nothing seems to taste as sweet,_

_As what I can't have._

_Like you and the way that you're twisting your hair_

_Round your finger._

_Tonight I'm not afraid to tell you_

_What I feel about you…"_

Jace never picked his songs out before playing them. They sort of came to him, hitting him like inspiration and making him antsy until he picked up a guitar and played it all out. This was the case with this particular song, but also with the girl that challenged him today.

She was fiery, both hair-wise and personality-wise. Never had a girl rivaled him, and because of that, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Sure, he was a player–that was as obvious as the grass being green. And because of this, he never really considered the feelings of the girls he'd been with in the past.

That's why he figured the song had hit him: he wanted to play something nice for the girl that he'd fallen for so quickly. Not to say that he, well, L-I-K-E-D her (admitting to the word made it all the more real), but he fancied her more than the usual lot. She piqued his interest, whether she knew it or not, and with only seven days left of the cruise…That didn't leave much time to slow things down. Who knew? He probably would never see her again. Funny, how he'd do anything to make sure he didn't see any of his ex's again, but when the situation was reversed, _he _became the demanding one.

"What made you choose that song?" a familiar voice asked, but when Jace jumped mid-song, he glanced around to see no one standing in front of him.

Setting the guitar down, Jace stood up and walked over to the edge of the balcony, leaned on the glass divider and glanced up to see Clary leaning over. "Be careful," Jace smirked. "We don't want the boat to tip over now, do we?"

"You're a riot," Clary said while she rolled her eyes. "Truly. And you still didn't answer my question."

Jace shrugged. "I play whatever song gets stuck in my head. Random selection." This half-truth didn't seem to sit well with Clary from the uncertainty in her face, but it got her to stop pestering him with that question, so he was glad. "And what are you doing up so late, Ginger?"

Clary made a face. "Ginger? Oh come on, you can be a little more creative than that. I've already gotten Annie, Pippi Longstockings and even Amy Adams–and she isn't even a natural redhead. If you dare call me Fire-crotch, I won't hesitate to castrate you with my room key."

_Feisty._ "And I assume Clare-Bear has been used before?"

Clary nodded.

"Cinnamon buns?"

"Wait–seriously? Why are you bringing up food now?"

"No," Jace simpered. "As a nickname. Cinnamon for your hair, buns for your derriere."

Clary blanched. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Come up with a better alternative in thirty seconds or it sticks," Jace taunted. "Thirty…twenty-nine…"

"Are you kidding me?"

Jace shook his head. "Twenty eight…twenty seven…"

Clary paused to think for a moment. "Flaming beacon?"

Jace paused to laugh but shook his head. "Although, I do like the Flames part. What if I call you Flame?"

Clary shrugged. "How about you call me Clary instead?"

"I like nicknames. Makes me feel more intimate with a person, like a secret code."

"Fine, but if I get one, I get to give you one," Clary bargained. Jace pondered this, figured she couldn't beat him at his own game. "Okay, I'm pretty sure you've gotten Goldilocks before and maybe Sunshine."

"I like Sunshine," Jace cut in. "You're nickname is Sunshine for now, and if I come up with anything better, then that trumps it."

"But I'm not even blond!" Clary protested. "And why are you giving me a pet name anyway? This has to be, by far, one of the weirdest conversations I've ever had on record with someone."

He grinned. "Good to know I popped your cherry for that one, then."

"Uh," a voice interrupted, pulling Jace back to reality. He whipped around and felt his face flush as he took in Jonathan in his pajamas, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. _Damn it, was I being too loud?_ Jonathan slept like a log, so if _he_ was awake, then that meant everyone on the boat was probably awake.

"When I said you had to lower your ego and cut down on the girls," Jonathan sighed, "I meant it. Please, would you just come back inside and sleep? I'm sick of pretending I'm asleep and the fact that dad is out cold right now doesn't help things."

Jace sighed in relief. _At least that's one less person to hear me._ "I'll come in, just give me a second."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he slipped back inside. The silence that ensued was deafening, until Jace heard a familiar soft snoring. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sunshine," Jace chuckled, more than eager to finally talk to Clary in person again.

* * *

The next stop for the cruise was Barbados, the island in the Sun. During breakfast, Izzy and Clary couldn't stop yammering on about how excited they were while Simon and Max went on about their favorite comics, Alec surprising them all when he added in his input.

Once the Garroways and Lightwoods departed from the boat, they stood on the pier with a gradually growing group of around twenty while waiting for their tour guide to show.

"Aren't you excited for this?" Max beamed at Clary. "This is Pirates 'N' Wenches Tour! Argh!"

"Do you think we'll see real pirates?" Clary asked, playing along.

"Oh I sure hope so," Max said while nodded his head fervently. "Y'know, like One Piece! He's a really cool pirate! I want to be like One Piece or Naruto or…"

Clary shot Simon a desperate look and smiled when he rolled his eyes, but dived into the conversation anyway. While Simon and Max went at it again, Clary had time to do a quick scan of the passengers disembarking and found herself hoping she'd see a familiar head of blond curls since she hadn't seen him during breakfast.

Come to think of it, she hadn't _seen_ him since the Karaoke night, only _heard_ him every night with his guitar. It added to the shudder that ran down her spine just thinking about how secretive their relationship was–that is, if what they had even qualified to be classified as a "relationship".

"Clary, what are you looking at?" Izzy asked irritably once she realized her new best friend was too busy staring at the other passengers rather than listening to a word she was saying.

But that was when Clary saw it: those luscious blond curls that covered her secret–_what was he to her?_ The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got. He certainly wasn't a friend; that much was clear when they first ran into each other Karaoke night. He'd tried to intimidate her, ruffle her feathers, but not in a friendly way. And then there were those nights, where the waves and soft strumming of his guitar would rock her to sleep…

"Hel- _lo_," Izzy said impatiently, waving her hand in front of Clary's face. Was the girl deaf or what? "Anyone home?"

"Oh." Clary sounded disappointed, and for a split-second, Izzy regretted cutting into Clary's reverie. "Sorry, Iz, I'm just tired is all." With a brief smile, she added, "Barely got any sleep last night."

Izzy raised an eyebrow, skeptical about Clary's excuse since she clearly was wide-awake and definitely daydreaming about a boy by the look on her face, but said nothing. If there were something Clary had to tell Izzy, she would've spilled the beans already.

When Izzy shrugged, Clary felt relieved. At least she wasn't going to hound her all day, and for that, she was grateful. Truth be told, Clary was a little exhausted since she stayed up later than usual because of the late night conversation with Mr. Romeo–wait a second, _new nickname!_ Clary couldn't hide her excitement as one of the several tour guide buses rounded the corner with their group number on it.

* * *

Jace watched as Group number one's bus boarded for the Pirates 'N' Wenches tour and couldn't help but grin as he watched Clary's group drive off ahead of his own, knowing that regardless of how far ahead she'd be, they would end up meeting at the same beachfront anyway since he also signed up for this shore excursion. With the smile never wiping off his face, he watched as Group number two's bus–_his_ bus –rounded the corner and braked to a halt in front of him.

* * *

**END SCENE! So what do you guys think? Wanna review and you get to find out what goes down on the beach? This can only spell trouble at this point...*wink***

**Clary: You make me sound like a spaz when you're describing me...**

**Me *shrug*: It was either that or make you run up to him and humiliate yourself.**

**Jace: I would've preferred the latter, to be honest.**

**Clary: No one asked you!**

**Jace: First amendment, Sunshine.**

**Clary: I plead the fifth.**

**Izzy: God, I hate the two of you right now. You too, Nixie.**

**Me: Fine! I'll make you drown!**

**Jace *to Izzy*: Blue is a lovely color on your skin, you know. Really brings out your eyes.**

**Izzy: Ugh, FORGET IT.**


	4. Because I'm Just So Lucky

**Time for an update? I believe so. This part was fun to write, as well as the whole lot of the story, and I hope you guys enjoy it! Oh, and just a side-note: I exaggerated on the whole "depth" of the snorkeling sight and how the water seemed to turn from a vibrant clear blue color to green. The water in the Caribbean –even in stormy weather when visibility is terrible–the water isn't green unless it's REALLY deep and the shipwrecks can be in shallow lands, like the place where I went snorkeling. I am aware of this, but I wanted to make it more dramatic. And another quick edit: when I was in Barbados, I took two boats–one that was wide open and took me to the beach, where I took a second, much smaller speedboat to the sight. It made four separate rounds for about three hours, but I decided to cut through all of that and make it all one trip. Just for anyone who's interested in taking a cruise so they won't be misinformed.**

_Songs:_

_Flippers by Art Vs Science (Snorkeling scene–just because it's an obviously appropriate song that's HYSTERICAL and made me die of laughter)_

_New Resolution by Azure Ray (For Jace and Clary's confrontation)_

_Everything I Ask For by The Maine (Just because this gives you insight on what Jace thinks…not completely, but some parts I feel fit him.)_

* * *

By the time they got to the beach, Clary's skin was coated with a thick layer of perspiration that, despite her several attempts to wipe off onto her towel, always came back in full force. Desperate to rid herself of sweat, Clary bolted off the bus once it came to an abrupt halt alongside Izzy and didn't stop running until she hit the waves.

"This is _so_ worth it!" Izzy cried out in delight as she took her time wading into the water, whereas Clary dived under and reveled in the cold, crystal clear water around her. Surfacing again, Clary wiped the salt water out of her eyes in time to see another bus pull onto the beach.

Curiously, Clary stepped out of the water in time to see a familiar head of blond curls jumping out of the bus and felt her heart pick up double-time. So he was _here_–finally! But then another thought hit her and stopped her in her tracks: how should she approach him? Did he want to see or talk to her as much as she wanted to see or talk to him? Or would it be too awkward? Or worse–what if he thought she was attractive when he could barely see her and would think otherwise upon seeing her before him in broad daylight...in a _bikini?_

Embarrassed beyond belief, Clary ran back to where she dropped her towel and bag during her run to the ocean water and picked up her wrap, then decided against it since she was too wet to wear it.

"Are you okay?" Izzy asked, concern written all over her face as she walked up to Clary. "You're so jittery all of a sudden and–aw, _hell_ no. Not him." Clary followed Izzy's line of sight to see Jace at the end of it. He was busying himself with trying to get something out of his backpack with two other men surrounding him.

"What about him?" Clary asked nonchalantly.

"What do you mean 'what about him'?" Izzy asked incredulously. "That's the douchebag from last night! He kept making fun of us and then gave us the money out of pity–not that I'm complaining, I could use a few hundred grands here and there. But still."

"Oh," Clary shrugged. "Well, let's not let him get to us, okay?"

Izzy gave Clary a funny look and shrugged as well. "Whatever you say, boss."

* * *

Try as she might, Clary couldn't ignore the hairs along the nape of her neck that stood up on their ends as Jace boarded the smaller boat that would take the four groups to their designated snorkeling area. She struggled to focus on Izzy as she went on about some guy she met at the club last night, but when Jace and his family passed by them to take the empty table on the other side of the triple deck open boat, Clary felt her heart sink.

"…you know what I mean?" Izzy finished, fixing her gaze onto Clary and realizing that she looked a little glum. "Oh, don't sympathize Raphael, he was a total dick last night so I just _had_ to cut ties with him."

Clary was clueless at first and then realized Izzy must've misread her sad expression for a pitiful one. "Oh, I guess," Clary sighed dramatically, playing the sympathy off. "But really? Was he that much of a dick to you?"

"Who was?" Simon asked, plopping down into the plastic chair next to Izzy. Turning his gaze to Izzy, Clary tried and failed to stifle her laughter when Simon gave her a determined look. "I'll find him and hurt him if I have to."

"You won't," Alec said from behind Clary, startling her as he took the empty plastic chair next to her. He rolled his eyes at Clary and shrugged, which made it all the more harder to not laugh. Simon was clearly trying too hard to win over the impossible. "She's plenty capable of stepping all over any man, woman or child who tries to defy her. Trust me."

Instead of intimidating Simon like Alec wanted to, Simon turned his wide adoring eyes to Izzy again. "I love a female warrior," he whispered, probably not aware that he was saying it out loud. This, of course, caused Alec and Clary to burst into laughter while Izzy gave a very flustered Simon a weird look.

Throughout the short boat ride, the adults sat on the second floor of the boat instead of the third open air floor where all the kids were since they didn't want to risk getting sun-burnt, which left the entire third floor to be full with kids Clary's age.

Clary kept silent for the most part, laughing when it was appropriate to–which tended to be whenever Izzy half-dragged Simon to the open dance floor when they played a song she liked–and keeping up small talk with Alec as to avoid an awkward silence. This, however, wasn't a difficult task seeing as Alec mainly kept to himself and didn't seem to have much to say.

Once they reached their designated snorkeling zone, Clary, Simon, Izzy, Alec and Max all huddled near the door and were given their snorkeling masks, flippers and air vests that they had to blow up themselves before they were allowed to get off of the boat.

Clary and Izzy squealed in delight as the deliciously cold water encased them and Clary couldn't help but laugh as Simon elicited a rather effeminate squeal himself, earning a few awkward side-glances from the other Lightwood children.

"What," Simon frowned. "It's _cold!_"

Clary shook her head and tried to work her mouth around the awkward mouthpiece that kept the air tube in place, already eager to look around for fish and shipwrecks–which she wasn't allowed to do until _everyone_ was in the water. Fortunately for her, all the adults seemed too drunk on the rum punch to care about snorkeling and Clary was spared the embarrassment of watching her mom and dad make a fool of themselves.

"Oh wow, look at that fish over there!" Izzy squealed, her voice traveling up the air tube and reaching Clary's ears even though she kept her head down on the fish. "And–oooh! Look over there!"

Clary dipped her head down in the water and almost gasped; schools of fish all sizes and colors were darting about, some brave enough to even swim up to the divers. Clary felt a giggle bubble up her chest as one of the cute teal blue and violet-striped fish swam up to her, its neon green eyes wide with curiosity.

"Here fishy, fishy," she cooed, holding out her hand. The fish paused for a second and then swam closer until it hovered a few feet in front of her eyes. "You really _are _something, aren't you?"

But then the fish quickly darted away the moment it–and Clary–heard a splash from behind her. Spinning around in place, Clary watched as a lean muscular topless body swam underneath her, disappearing somewhere far below her. Curiosity got the better of her, and pressing down on the air pump tube on the vest to release some of the air while holding her breath, she slowly descended into the barely visible zone that the tour guide warned against unless you were a strong swimmer.

Just when she was starting to doubt herself for seeing someone dive below here since the visibility was poor–the water was a murky green color all around her–Clary almost gasped. There, before her very eyes, was the shipwreck. Nestled on the seabed with tons of algae dying it a neon green color in all of its past glory. Never in her life had Clary seen something so…_scary._

She gasped, unable to help herself, when she realized there was _someone actually swimming around inside the shipwreck._ Clary knew she shouldn't have gasped, shouldn't have allowed all that water inside of her tube enter her mouth, but it was too late. It went down her throat, searing pain causing her to cough and hack–but since she was still underwater, this only allowed more water to enter her mouth.

Panicking, Clary tried to kick upwards, but suddenly she wasn't so sure _which_ direction was up. Everything around her was a hideous color of green and she could tell that she quickly running out of time and options. It was then did whatever who was swimming inside the ship decide to rear its head and swim towards her, causing her to panic even more. Before succumbing to the black sparks that were bursting at the back of her eyelids, she felt strong hands wrap around her body tightly.

* * *

"She be a'right ma'am, no needin' for the cops to get 'volved."

"Are you serious? My daughter almost _drowned_ out there had it not been for this young boy here!"

"Young boy? Really? I thought I at least _deserve_ the title of young 'man' since I'm clearly no boy."

"You'll get boy and deal with it," Simon's voice rang out the loudest of them all. The annoyance was obvious in his tone and Clary couldn't help but smile, despite the burning sensation she felt from in her mouth, throat and stomach that left her insides feeling empty and raw.

"Ugh," Clary groaned, rolling over to spit up the grime that lined her mouth. Opening her eyes, she realized several things at once: The tour guide, her family and the Lightwoods were all surrounding her and from what she could tell was plastic against her back, she was on a table. Oh, and that when she rolled to her side and spat up, she ended up spitting right on the closest person's bare golden feet. And by the look of those feet and the damp curly blond hair on the owner's legs, she felt her cheeks burn in mortification.

"So this is how you repay the guy who saves your life?" he clucked in utter disgust. Clary didn't even have to glance up to see the look on his face–probably one of disgust with amusement in his eyes. "Then I'd hate to know how you treat the man and woman who _gave_ you life in the first place."

"Just shut up," Clary rasped, wincing as the burning sensation doubled in her throat. "I don't need this crap from you. I need water."

Immediately jumping into action, Simon intervened, his hand outstretched with a cup of water. While she guzzled its contents down, Jace watched, not even bothering concealing the amused look on his face.

Truth be told, her little stunt back there in the water had him worried for a second. What was she even _thinking?_ She couldn't swim to save the life of her, let alone swim when her life actually needed to be saved, and Jace was more than glad he was there to save her in time. But he couldn't stop the nagging feeling he got that made him suspect the only reason she had acted so blindly was _because_ of him.

Jace waited until Clary convinced everyone that she was okay so that they left her alone before speaking up again. He wanted the truth, not some pretense she put off when they weren't alone.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Well what?" she asked, hopping down from the table so that she was standing in front of him. He noticed she was up to his shoulder and smirked at this fact.

"Are a rebel and don't care about what authority figures tell you, or are you just stupid?" His smile broadened when the blood pooled in her cheeks, anger clear on his face. God, did he _love_ taunting her, especially when her cheeks turned that wonderful color.

"Are you being serious right now?" Clary seethed, her fists trembling at her sides. "Because if you're just going to be a total ass trumpet to me, I'm not going to talk to you ever again."

_Forever now, really?_ Taking a step closer, Jace leaned in until his lips were a few inches away from hers. "Is that a promise or a threat? Because, being quite honest here, I doubt you have the sheer will power to withstand talking to me for an entire twenty four hours."

"Oh you are so –" When Clary took in Jace's challenging stare, she clammed up and stormed off.

_Cute._ That was the word that came to mind when Jace watched Clary try so hard to make herself as fierce as possible–cute as a piss-angry kitten trying hard to be an intimidating lion. He couldn't wait until Clary would finally crack; he gave her until about lunch, or at most, until evening activities were done with.

* * *

"Oh my gosh," Izzy tittered, zipping about her cabin. "Do you realize this gives me all the more reason to be your personal dresser!" Clary had already informed her about the 'new situation' between Jace and her while they were lounging on the upper deck of the cruise ship and now that they were back in her cabin with no one else in it, Izzy was concocting a plan for Jace to cave first. That thought alone sent shivers down Clary's spine.

"Ugh, must you jump at every opportunity to use me as a life-sized Barbie doll?"

Izzy's mischievous grin grew. "I wouldn't be myself if I didn't, now hold still before I seriously poke your eye out while I'm trying to put your makeup on!"

With Izzy hovering over her –a mascara wand and eyeliner pencil in one hand, a metal contraption that Izzy guaranteed would "make her eyelashes curl like never before" and curling iron in the other–Clary gulped audibly. Never in her life could Clary's own mind dream up an image equally as terrifying as Izzy in that moment.

* * *

Jace honestly didn't know what to say. He knew Clary was determined to make him cave first, but never would he think she would stoop so low as to dress up in the sexiest skin-tight cocktail dress that made looking anywhere but at her impossible. Which would explain why his eyes were currently bulging of their sockets and why his jaw was on the floor.

"I know you really appreciate the food here," Jonathan sighed, clearly irritated. "But could you not show it off to me by keeping your mouth wide open?"

Jace shot his older brother a scornful look and shrugged. "I just got distracted, that's all."

Jonathan–who was sitting across from his younger brother–leaned on his side and looked behind him, then turned back around with a raised eyebrow and amusement in his eyes. "_That_ girl? The one you gave your prize money too? Really?"

Jace's hand that held his fork perfectly poised above his steak twitched slightly, something that no one else would've noticed if they didn't know him well enough. But Jonathan noticed it by the way his eyes widened in surprise, the amusement never leaving his expression.

"_That_ much? Oh no," Jonathan chuckled, looking back down at his steak and proceeding to cut it up. "That's never a good thing, you know. To like someone that much." Looking up at his baby brother and swallowing a piece of meat, he added with a wicked grin, "Makes you soft, which makes you weak, which makes you vulnerable. And you can't afford to be vulnerable in a cold, cruel world, can you?"

It was then that their father decided to grace them with his presence, leaving Jace no time for a witty comeback. Jace glared at Jonathan, putting every ounce of hatred he had for his older brother then as possible, but Jonathan just stared back with his eyebrow raised in amusement.

* * *

"You okay?" Simon asked, concern coloring his voice. Clary forced her gaze off Jace–who was seated several tables away from her, just visible from over Simon's left shoulder–and onto her brother as she nodded. She swore she felt his gaze on her, even if it was just for a split second, but when she looked up, he was glaring at his brother instead.

Shifting uncomfortably in the emerald green satin halter cocktail dress Izzy had lent her, Clary started to doubt Izzy's advice. _You look way too good for him _not_ to notice you–he'd have to be blind to not ogle at you!_ But judging by the results so far, Clary felt whatever hopes had bloomed in her heart wilt away the longer Jace seemed to look at anything _but_ her.

"Yeah," Clary deadpanned. "Just great. I just hate being Izzy's Barbie doll, that's all."

"I think you look pretty," Simon shrugged, unabashed. "Sure, that dress is just a little bit revealing and I'll attack any guy that tries to take advantage of you, but you kind of pull it off."

"I agree," Luke concurred.

"That shade of green looks lovely on you," Jocelyn added with a smile. Clary felt her face flush; she wasn't used to dressing up in the first place, let alone being complimented by anyone for her looks. That was enough to keep the storm clouds from raining on her parade, for now at least.

Clary tipped her chin back, pushed her shoulders back and smiled as confidently as she could. And then it happened: Jace looked at her. She made eye-contact with him the moment his eyes diverted from his brother to her and even though it lasted for the slightest of seconds, and even though her head ached from being tilted back since her hair was piled on top of her head in a chignon, she knew exactly what he was thinking just by the way a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. And she smiled back, because she finally _knew_ she had something on him.

**So what do you all think? Rate and review por favor!**

**Jace: God, I remember that dress and how amazing it looked on you...and how even more amazing it would look on my floor.**

**Clary: Ugh, you're disgusting.**

**Jace: Only for you, Sunshine.**

**Clary: OH! Speaking of nicknames...**

**Jace: Something you still haven't given me yet, by the way.**

**Clary: Yes, yes I am aware of that. I have a nickname for you! It's–**

**Me: Hey? Do me a favor? Don't ruin it for the readers.**

**Jace *frowning*: I better get to hear it next chapter, but only if she cracks first.**

**Clary: No fair! No way I'm going to crack first!**

**Me: Okay, I'll leave that up to the reader then-If you want Clary or Jace to crack first, write so in the review and I'll consider it!**

***Clary and Jace glare-off***

**Jace: You know you can't resist me.**

**Clary: Honestly, I'm pretty sure the whole restaurant saw what you had that night when you openly gaped at me in that dress. Steak tartare? Good choice.**

**:)**


	5. The Warmth Of Your Hungry Lips

**My god, you guys are AWESOME! Okay, okay, because you guys are SO eager to see Jace cave, HERE YOU HAVE IT! TAKE IT ALL. Haha, JUST LEAVE ME BE! I kid, but I seriously hope you guys like this. **

_Songs:_

_Por Ti Volare by Andrea Bocelli (When Jace and Clary start dancing)_

_Captivated by Stefani Germanotta (a.k.a Lady Gaga for all those who don't know. Don't worry, this song is just…beautiful, pure and raw. I loved her older stuff so much, and this song PERFECTLY fits the slow dance…YES, I JUST SAID SLOW DANCE. Sue me for being sappy when it comes to stuff like this. As ddpjclaf would say: FLUFFTASTIC.)_

_Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer (Not to be a spoiler!)_

_

* * *

_

Since the night's theme was Captain's night–translation: everyone has to dress up in order to look good for the Captain, who makes a five minute appearance during dinner, then leaves–Clary's whole dressing-up wasn't unusual. In fact, Jocelyn was wearing one of her own best gowns–a silver strapless gown–while Luke and Simon were donning identical suits.

It was the night's activity that sent Clary's heart aflutter: the Seven Sea Gala. Supposedly, it only happened every decade or so, so this was no ordinary dance–which gave Izzy all the more reason to once again, go experimental Barbie on Clary.

"I think I'm just fine wearing _this_ dress," Clary protested as Izzy dug deeper into her suitcase, tossing other items of clothes aside as she searched for "The Dress"–the one that would, no doubt, make Jace forget _all_ about the bet.

Izzy paused to give Clary a quick once-over and shook her head, turning back to her suitcase. "Not if he didn't even look at you longer for a second," she snorted. "This dress, I swear, will make you a _knock-out_."

"Oh Izzy," Maryse chided from the bathroom, clipping on her second chandelier earring before stepping out. "Just let the girl be. Please. Your father, brothers and the rest of the ship are already at the Gala and I'm about to leave as well. Don't spend the entire night here, all right?"

With a kiss on Izzy's head and a quick embrace for Clary, Maryse bustled out of the room with her hair pulled into a sleek bun and a strapless corseted midnight blue gown that billowed out at the waist. Clary stared after her; it was obvious where Izzy got her looks from, looks Clary would _die_ for.

"Ah-_ha!_ I knew I'd find it!" Izzy spun around, holding the dress behind her back with a victorious grin on her face. "Are you ready for your mind to get blown?"

"Not in the slightest," Clary replied, swallowing audibly. "But I have a feeling that doesn't mean anything to you."

* * *

"Waiting for someone?" a distinctly female voice whispered intimately into his ear. Jace spun around and took a step backward to put space in between him and the unfamiliar blond before him. She was wearing a cocktail dress that looked as if were made out of one hand-towel–really, it was _that_ short.

"Actually yes," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Would she be me?" the blond giggled while batting her spider-webby eyelashes. God, how could girls wear so much _makeup?_ To fix up some blemishes was understandable, but to wear an entire pound of it? Now that was just over-excessive and not to mention very trashy since it only left Jace with the impression that she had something to hide–and not something he'd like to find out.

Jace was about to answer her when he heard his words being spoken in a familiar soprano voice, "Actually no. He's taken, but thanks for the concern." When the girl's eyes widened in shock, Jace turned around…

…And felt all the air in his lungs evaporate. Breathless, that's what he was rendered the moment his eyes fell on her. If he thought her simple cocktail dress was killing him, then by God, _this_ dress was the Grim Reaper coming to claim his very soul–the one thing he'd give up just to see what was underneath that sheer fabric on her.

"By the Angel," Jace whispered as he appraised her. The dress she wore this time was a vibrant silky gold that brought out the color of her hair–which was styled in a low bun with some loose tendrils from the bun itself resting over one shoulder–while the backless dress' front crisscrossed to form the pseudo-halter top that hugged her chest and billowed out after the hip. All in all, Jace liked. _A lot._ And suppressing his animalistic urge to rip off her clothes right then and there was like denying a child love and affection: cruel and unusual punishment.

"He's not yours," the blond screeched, bringing Jace back into the situation. Jace didn't even remember her being there and quite frankly, didn't care.

"Come on, Sunshine," Jace smirked at Clary, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dance floor. "Let's dance."

* * *

Clary allowed herself to be led to the dance floor, keeping her eyes on Jace in his impeccable white tuxedo, and gasped when they finally broke the throng of non-dancers to see the dance floor before her.

Slammed with dé jà vu, Clary stared up at the arched ballroom ceiling and realized, to her surprise, that the reason she was able to see the night sky even though they were on the eighth floor and not upper deck was because it was a realistic painting that must've tricked her eye in her dream. And just like in the dream, there was the mermaid fountain in the center of the marble floor, pouring her jug of endless water into the fountain below.

Jace tugged on her hand once more, pulling her towards him until she was a few inches away from him and then ever so gently, he rested his left hand on the small of her back and sucked in a breath when he realized how low-scooping the backless dress was since his hand was splayed out on her bare skin. _God, she's killing me and doesn't even know it,_ he thought to himself.

Clary glanced up at him as they started to waltz–a dance Clary never knew before and felt very awkward doing since she wasn't nearly as graceful as most girls–and gasped: he was _leading_ her in a way that made me feel…comfy. He wasn't going too fast or too slow; he was perfect.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked, looking down at Clary and taking in the sight of his redhead beauty. But she was too busy staring at the mermaid fountain to see that he was looking directly at her when he was talking, addressing _her_, not some work of marble.

"Yes," she sighed happily, leaning her head against his chest. Jace tensed; she felt so _right_, it almost hurt. He closed his eyes and didn't even register the song changing from a string quartet to a soft jazzy piano as he tried to calm his erratic heart.

_One look and I'm done._

_Once glance from your eyes and I'm captivated._

_The taste of your skin,_

_The warmth of your hungry lips_

_Has me so taken and I_

_Love the way you can make me dance_

_From miles away…_

Jace didn't know why or how he reacted so strongly whenever Clary was near him, just that he did and that he knew he would continue to act this way because…well, because he liked her. Jace crinkled his nose as he mused over that word and mentally shook his head. No, "like" didn't cover it. "Like" made him think of the way he "liked" his brother, or his favorite pair of black boxers, but not Clary. No, she was special, ergo, deserved her own word. But what word…?

"You lost, by the way," Clary mumbled into his jacket.

"Hmm?"

Clary glanced up at him, her emerald eyes twinkling in delight. "You caved first. I win. Ha-ha."

Jace couldn't believe his ears. She couldn't be telling the truth…right? He, Jace Wayland, actually _lost_ something? That just….it wasn't feasible. He desperately tried to remember her speaking to him first, but found himself at a lost–all he could remember was him ogling at her dress one second, then asking her to dance the next second later…

"What's wrong, Romeo?" Clary teased. "All choked up from eating your own words?"

"Romeo?" Jace echoed. "Is that a new nickname I hear? Hmm, not too sure if I like it."

"Oh yeah?" Clary snorted. "Well _deal with it, _Romeo."

"Will do," Jace chuckled as he spun Clary out then yanked her back in to dip her right as the song came to an end. An eruption of applause alerted the duo that everyone else was watching them and Clary felt her face flush as Jace straightened her up, his face the epitome of cool and collected. He bowed and gently tugged on her hand so that Clary awkwardly curtsied until the applauding subsided.

"All right, all right, all _righty_ then!" Paul's voice blared from the hidden speakers. A second later, the man himself–who was actually a lot shorter than Clary thought he was –broke through the crowd and stepped forward until he was standing beside Clary, his face beet-red and covered in sweat. "I guess we've found a new popular favorite, haven't we? First the man gives the girl the money, the next day he's dipping her like the Big Dipper!"

Clary gave Jace a sidelong glance, to which he responded by simply shrugging. "Hold your horses people, I think I've just gotten a whole new idea for tonight," Paul announced, still smiling regardless of the groans and protests. "How about we do something we've never done in a Gala before? Like, a _dance _competition? Eh? Eh?"

Clary widened her eyes at Jace in desperation and actually let out a gasp when he tugged on her hand so that she rolled into him, her back landing perfectly on the crook of his arm so that their faces were a few inches apart.

"Don't worry," Jace breathed. "I've got you."

And for reasons beyond her, Clary smiled, knowing that regardless of what would happen that night, Jace would stay true to his words.

* * *

"My God," Izzy panted as she staggered into the hallway, her arm slung over an exhausted Simon's shoulder as she leaned into him. "I'd be so surprised if I'm able to get out of bed tomorrow."

"We have the Sulfur Springs in Dominica tomorrow," Clary pointed out, leaning into Jace and sneaking whiffs of his natural scent–soap and cologne–whenever he didn't seem to notice since she was in the same position as Izzy. "You sure you want to miss that?"

Izzy stared wordlessly at Clary for a second before detaching herself from Simon–much to his displeasure–and hopped up and down. "Look! As good as new!"

"I highly doubt that," Jace snickered. "Just looking at your shoes alone is enough to send any man to the ER. Is it necessary to have nine inch high heel shoes?"

Izzy tossed her hair irritably, narrowly avoiding getting hair on Simon, and gave Jace a hard look. "I still don't see what Clary finds attractive about you, but I'm not one to judge."

"Izzy!" Clary cried out, mortified.

"It's quite all right," Jace shrugged, pulling Clary in closer. "I'd love to hear what else you've relayed to her." Looking back at Izzy, he gave her his most charming smile. "Any more embarrassing stories I'd like to hear?"

"Please," Simon pleaded. "Not when the brother is present. Any other time would work, really. Please. Spare my virgin ears!"

"Virgin ears, my ass, you oaf," Clary shot back. "I've heard what those people on X-box live talk about and you're certainly one to talk." When Simon blanched, Clary grinned.

"All right," Simon said once they all reached their cabin, "this is our stop so you two do what you need to, but wait until I'm safely within the confines of the cabin before you do so."

Clary felt her cheeks heat up at his suggestion and waited until he went inside the cabin–Izzy as well–before looking up at Jace. She felt her breath catch; he was staring at her with such passion, such need that Clary felt as if she were going to faint. And, as if he could read her mind, Jace reached out in time to steady her.

"You do realize how awful it'd look if you passed out on me right now, don't you?" Jace chuckled, pulling her closer to rest his chin on her forehead. "Your parents would think I slipped a drug in your drink or something like that, and I'd really hate to start all this off on the wrong foot."

Clary winced, noticing how Jace refrained from saying that one word that would confirm that this wasn't all just some dream: _relationship._ She pulled away from him hesitantly and forced herself to look him, to _really_ look at him so that she could try and decipher his emotions when she would say what she wanted to.

"Jace"–just saying his name alone felt all too new, too intimate–"I have a question." When all he did was raise an eyebrow, she continued. "Um, what exactly is…you know…" When words failed to suffice, she gestured with her hands at the space between him and herself.

A flicker of amusement crossed his face and he smiled. "Whatever you want it to be. Personally, I'd like to think we're more than friends, but if you don't want to be–"

"I want to be that," Clary sighed in relief. "Trust me on this one." Then she sucked in her bottom lip in between her teeth and nibbled on it for a bit as she realized what "being more than friends" implied. Even though Simon and her entire family knew that she had never had a boyfriend before, she didn't want to tell Jace that he was her first for several reasons.

Firstly because–as much to her displeasure–they only had about six more days together and she wanted to enjoy them as long as she could and if she told him he was her first, well, that would possibly intimidate him. Guys didn't like commitment over the summer and they tended to think "virgins" as the clingy type–it was just a known thing. She also didn't want him to think of her being "inexperienced"–even though she was. All these thoughts ran through her mind and she had to focus herself on the fact that Jace was right _here_ right _now_ and that if she stayed too long in Lala Land, he would probably think she was crazy.

"So, um," Clary prompted hesitantly. She knew that after dates in movies, the guy would kiss the girl on the doorstep and then drive away in his awesome '69 Camaro, leaving the girl to revel in the drunkenness his kiss induced. But this wasn't some '50s movie and Clary certainly wasn't on her doorstep. She wasn't sure if being in a dance marathon with an extremely attractive boy even counted as a "first date".

"You're nervous," Jace remarked, quirking up an eyebrow. _God that was so annoying,_ Clary thought with envy. _Everyone knows how to do that except for me!_ "Why are you nervous?"

Taking a deep breath, Clary mustered enough energy to ask the one thing she never thought she would ask anyone–ever. "Could I-could I try something with you?"

"Of course," Jace chuckled.

_Crap, now it's too late to take back what I said!_ But despite her anxiety, Clary really wanted to know what it felt like–to be attracted to a person, to feel that person' lips on yours, to taste that person for the very first time because as much as she made fun of those cheesy '50s movies, they were all she had to count for her "experience". In the back of her mind, she wondered if those romance novels were right when it came to kissing Mr. Right, and if the "electric current that would jolt her to her senses the moment his lips would graze hers" actually existed, and if it hurt or not.

Balling up her fists at her sides, Clary took a step closer to Jace and then another until her chest was up against his and inhaled deeply, allowing his scent to wash over herself before tipping her head back to look up at him. When her eyes met his, she was pleasantly surprised to see they were wide in shock as well with just a bit of excitement.

"Clary," Jace said her name so softly, like a gentle breeze. He lifted a hand up to cup her cheek and ever so slowly, lowered his head down to hers until their lips touched.

At first, it was just a gentle touch, oh-so soft that Clary wouldn't have believed anything happened if her eyes weren't open. She then closed them and the second she did, she gave into her senses. Her hands groped for something, anything, to hold onto and she let them loose to find something to cling onto. They settled on the collar of his shirt and she drew him closer, instantly deepening the kiss.

She felt Jace tense up, but only for a second and mainly because she definitely took him off guard. Kissing much more passionately, Clary had to admit, maybe those movies were cheesy but the novels definitely had it right–the moment the kiss deepened, the more alive she felt. All her senses were instantly sharpened and it was as if Jace was her everything, was everywhere around her. All her body craved for was Jace and all it got was Jace–a perfect supply and demand, really.

The moment Clary took Jace off guard was the moment Jace made sure never happened again; not to say that he didn't like surprises, especially ones that included a certain redhead kissing him, but Jace was always the leader and liked the control he had. He could tell Clary was new at this by the way she tried blindly to prove otherwise, but she wasn't bad at all. In fact, he was pleasantly surprised. She tasted like strawberries and just a bit of chocolate and boy, could he not get enough of her.

He wanted her so badly to the point where his hands–which were originally at her waist–were pulling her closer as they wrapped around the small of her back. That's when he knew it was time to break it off before anything serious could go down. As much to his and her obvious displeasure, he knew Clary meant more to him than the other girls. That she was special and deserved to be treated with the utmost respect. And he wanted to give that to her, wanted to wait until she was ready to move forward.

Judging by the frown on her face, Jace knew that he had disappointed her. _Think about it this way, Sunshine. I'm saving the best for last, for you._ He smiled at that thought. "I always knew you were feisty."

Clary bit her lip, torturing him whether she knew it or not, in a poor attempt to cover up her smile. "Yeah, yeah. But you don't seem to be complaining about it."

Jace couldn't help himself; he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. "Now what gave you the impression I didn't like feisty?"

Clary blushed again at the proximity, but wasn't fighting him off. "Nothing at all." She leaned in for another kiss, her eyelids halfway closed when her lips touched something that didn't feel like his lips. Opening her eyes, she was disappointed to see that he was holding his finger up against her lips.

"Ah-ah-ah," Jace teased. "No more for now. Your lips are puffy enough to get your parents concerned about what lip-gloss Izzy put on you tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Clary nodded, her lip forming a pout as Jace leaned in and gently brushed his lips against her cheek. She watched as he turned and proceeded to walk away when she remembered something. "I'll hear you tonight?" Even to her own ears, she sounded out of breath, but she didn't care at this point.

Jace, who was just about to make a turn to go to the elevators turned around and smiled. "Most definitely."

* * *

**SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! What do you think?**

**Jace: Well, I for one wouldn't mind recreating that night again.**

**Clary *blushing*: Me either.**

**Simon: Ugh, I just read all that. Can you say nasty to the MAX?**

**Max: Huh? Who called me?**

**Izzy: Max! What are you doing up so late?**

**Max *impatiently*: Someone called my name!**

**Izzy: Ugh, go back to sleep! This conversation is for adults only!**

**Max: But…but…**

**Simon: If you go to bed now, I'll buy you the newest edition of One Piece.**

**Max: OKAY!**

**Clary: I swear, Iz. You're dating your younger brother as a teenage boy.**

***Izzy and Simon blanch***

**Clary: I DIDN'T MEAN LITERALLY, GOD!**

**Jace: A wise man once told me, 'If there were such a thing as terminal literalism, you'd have died in childhood'. But I'm pretty sure the 'you' was directed towards someone else.**

**Clary: Huh. Funny you mention that quote, I distinctly remember hearing that somewhere too.**

**Me: UGH STOP WITH THE EXCESS DIALOGUE ALREADY!**


	6. Is This A Natural Feeling?

**UPDATE! Yeah, it's somewhat a filler chapter, but I figured it's better than anything. My personal favorite part? When we see things in Jace's point of view ;)**

_Songs:_

_I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria (For when Clary is talking to Izzy, because well, it's a funny song! That and I feel like Clary feels too exposed talking about her feelings with Izzy.)_

_Tongue Tied by Faber Drive (For when Clary is talking to Simon. I think it's perfect because of how Clary tries so hard to talk to him and yet…yeah. Read to find out!)_

_Anywhere But Here by Safetysuit (For Jace, whenever he's thinking of Clary…lalala…)_

_

* * *

_

The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Clary leaned against it, her eyes closed as she reveled in the tiny bursts of pleasure that surfaced the more she thought about the kiss when a sudden cough brought her back to her senses. Fluttering her eyelids open, Clary felt her face heat up as Izzy stood in front of her, Simon peering curiously over her shoulder at his sister.

"Well?" Izzy pursued. She reached out and snatched Clary's wrist, then yanked her away from the door and opened it, throwing Simon an apologetic smile. "Sorry, girls only."

Simon only held his hands up in surrender. "No problem here. He just better have not touched you where he shouldn't have."

Clary opened her mouth to protest when Izzy suddenly yanked on her arm, half-dragging Clary out of her room and into her own. Clary took in the empty room and figured that Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood as well as her own parents were still at the unlimited bar, which left Max at the arcade with a bunch of other kids his age.

"Okay," Izzy giggled, once she confirmed that they were truly alone. "Dish on the details, now."

Clary expected this much from Izzy, but couldn't think of words to describe the kiss. It was wonderful, delicious, sweet and also passionate, all consuming, heated. But there was no way Clary could ever repeat those words out loud to Izzy. So she shrugged her shoulders, briefly recapped Izzy on what happened without so much of the passion and felt relieved when the rest of the Lightwoods walked in right before Izzy could get a word in. Before Clary left, Izzy shot her a look that warned her that she wasn't off the hook just yet. Clary shuddered to think to what extreme Izzy would go to in order to have her way.

* * *

After quickly washing up, Clary bided her parents goodnight and stepped outside, inhaling deeply the crisp, tangy salty air. Closing her eyes, Clary could already feel the exhaustion hitting her and almost ran off into the Land of Nod when she heard the balcony door open and close beside her.

Opening her eyes, Clary gasped when she saw a sheepish Simon staring down at her. He gestured to the second chair she used as a footrest and made himself comfortable facing opposite her in the chair. Instinctively, Clary offered some of her blanket, which Simon accepted gratefully–it was awfully windy up here; how his sister enjoyed it was a mystery to him.

"So," Simon prompted, staring down at the blanket and playing with a loose thread. "How was your night?"

Clary rolled her eyes. "Is that all you came out to talk to me about?"

Looking up, Simon flashed her a rueful smile. "Not really." Dropping the smile all together, he sighed. "Look, Clary, I know this Jace person is the guy you're really into but…"

"But…?" Clary echoed, the irritation seeping into her voice. She was beyond exhausted and Simon wanted to talk to her _now_ about his feelings towards Jace? Honestly, would it kill the kid to wait a few more hours before dissecting the details of her newfound love life?

Hurt flashed behind Simon's eyes, something Clary couldn't miss since he wasn't wearing his glasses–he never wore them before going to bed, and without them on, his eyes looked strangely beady-like. "I just…I just wanted to know for sure if he's someone you're genuinely interested in, that's all."

"Oh," Clary said tentatively. Well, what should she say to that? She did like Jace, a lot for sure, but was this going to be something serious? Or was she just over-thinking things again, setting up the wooden frame of her soon-to-be relationship without actually having a foundation first?

"Well,"–he leaned in closer–"are you?"

"I–I don't know," Clary confessed. "Jace is…well, something _else_. You know I'm not very good with, er, boys and I mean, I'm kind of inexperienced. If you know what I mean."

Simon chuckled and leaned back to appear nonchalant, although Clary could tell with what little light the moon gave off that he was as red as she could imagine she was. Talking about subjects as touchy as this was a little more than just "embarrassing" and for one thing, Clary sure was glad that it was nighttime. "I totally get what you mean with that."

"Simon, I don't know what to do," Clary sighed. "I really want to make things work out between us, but I don't know how. Could you…um…you know…"

"Offer you advice?" Simon tucked his hands behind his head and tilted his head to the side, looking all too much like a confused puppy. "I would if I could, but as I clearly stated before, I'm not even half the woman's man I aspire to be."

"No, I mean," Clary stammered, focusing on anything except for her brother, "like, guy advice…like, what do guys, um…like?"

Clary had to bite her lip to keep herself from crying out when Simon audibly cleared his throat–something he only did to clear the awkward silence from settling in. But when he didn't answer her question, she couldn't resist temptation and looked up at her brother, feeling her face burn when he was just gaping at her.

"Oh come _on_," she said indignantly. "Surely you can't be _that_ stupid, can you? Look, I'll make you a deal: you help me with any guy advice and I'll try to hook you up with Izzy. Okay?"

Simon's eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets, but only for a second before he tried and failed to regain composure. "And what makes you think I'm interested in Izzy?"

Clary refrained from rolling her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the look of pure admiration in your eyes as you trail behind her no matter where she goes…or maybe it's just the drool that's currently running down your chin as you think about her."

She snickered when his hand flew to his chin. Narrowing his eyes imperceptibly, Simon stuck out his other hand and Clary grinned victoriously as she grabbed it and shook it once.

* * *

Jace had originally considered playing guitar the moment he heard Clary moving about, setting up her makeshift bed with a song in mind, but the moment he was about to play, he heard the door open again. Glancing around, he quietly set the guitar down and strained his ears to hear more. Fortunately for him, whomever had joined Clary clearly didn't know the definition of "subtlety".

"So," the voice was definitely male, and Jace immediately identified it as Clary's dorky brother, Simon. "How was your night?" _Smooth, way to not blow your cover at all_, Jace mused.

The irritation was clear in Clary's voice as she responded, "Is that all you came out to talk to me about?" Jace couldn't help but smile; she was so _blunt_ all the time–always cutting through the crap and getting straight to the point. If only she knew just how sexy that was to him.

"Not really. Look, Clary, I know this Jace person"–Jace stiffened–"is the guy you're really into but…"

Almost as if she could read his mind, Clary deadpanned, "But…?"

Boy, she must've looked fierce because the next response came out with a hint of anxiety. "I just…I just wanted to know for sure if he's someone you're genuinely interested in, that's all." _And what's it to you if she fancies me?_ Jace wanted to ask, the defensive walls already up. Not that he wasn't used to older brothers and fathers typically cramping his style, but Simon seemed smart enough–at least when it came to his own safety , Jace hoped–to know not to mess with Jace Morgenstern. Not unless he was due to get his wisdom teeth taken out and didn't want to pay for the expenses–something Jace was willing to assist with charge-free.

Straining his ears, Jace barely caught onto Clary's whisper: "Oh." Oh?_ Oh?_ What did _that_ imply? Oh, as in "oh, the horror!" or oh, as in "OH! Okay, I get it now!" Jace's biceps tensed reflexively; he wasn't normally so tense, but whenever he achieved a certain level of tenseness, he was capable of breaking almost anything save for metal.

"Well, are you?" _Yes, dear Clary, are you? Don't torture me like this, please, just answer the question!_ Jace wasn't used to this feeling of suspense–given his infamous reputation, he was the one always in control, always calling the shots and never once was he not aware of anything, no matter how small the matter was. So one could only imagine how the seconds ticked in an agonizingly slow pace, each second wasted killing him like a stab wound.

"I–I don't know." A brief pause–one that drove Jace nearly insane with anticipation. "Jace is…well, something _else_." _In a good way or a bad way?_ "You know I'm not very good with, er, boys and I mean, I'm kind of inexperienced. If you know what I mean." Jace's ears almost went into shock after 'inexperienced'. What did _that _imply? That Clary never had a boyfriend before? That the kiss in the hallway was–Jace froze.

He had figured from her tentativeness that she was just shy, and maybe just a little inexperienced, but if what she was saying was true then…had that been Clarissa Garroway's _first kiss–_one that he, Jace Morgenstern, had personally administered to her?

Jace had to tightly grip the arms of the chair to keep himself from doing something very stupid. "I totally get what you mean with that," Simon chuckled. At this point, the very sound of Simon's voice was enough to drive Jace over the edge; he only wanted to hear Clary's voice, to hear more specifics about her "inexperience" because if what he was thinking was true then that left him to feel…

How _did_ he feel? Closing his eyes, Jace tried to focus on any emotion that jumped up at him, but none did. Instead, his mind was muddled with several emotions and with careful probing, Jace found a few that stuck out equally to each other: confusion, horror, resentment and much to his dismay…_excitement_.

He felt horrible with the knowledge that he had been her first because he knew personally that she could do better than him, that there were guys out there that were probably more deserving of her than he was. But as much as he tried to convince himself to believe this, he couldn't quell the eagerness inside of him that bloomed with every thought of her. She was his personal Sunshine, the only person that could brighten even the darkest corners of his mind, and imagining her with someone else…

Jace was genuinely surprised to open his eyes and see how white his knuckles were from holding onto the arms of the chair. Carefully, he peeled his fingers back and intertwined them on his lap.

"Simon, I don't know what to do," Clary sighed. "I really want to make things work out between us, but I don't know how. Could you…um…you know…" _Oh dear God_. Was she seriously asking the gaming nerd who probably hasn't seen any of the female anatomy in 3D before for _dating tips_? He felt the corner of his lips twitch into a smile.

"Offer you advice? I would if I could, but as I clearly stated before, I'm not even half the woman's man I aspire to be." The smile on Jace's face grew. _At least the boy is honest. But he clearly needed to get his brain checked out if it took that long for him to process information and still manage to breath on his own without any mechanical assistance._

"No, I mean, like, guy advice…like, what do guys, um…like?" Another silent pause that Jace so wanted to ruin by bursting into laughter, but restrained from. God, he was sucking up every second of this delicious conversation like a leech.

Clary broke the silence this time, her voice bordering on anger. "Oh come _on_. Surely you can't be _that_ stupid, can you?"–Jace begged to differ–"Look, I'll make you a deal: you help me with any guy advice and I'll try to hook you up with Izzy. Okay?"

This time Jace couldn't help it; he almost doubled-over, struggling so hard not to make any noise as he let out all his laughter soundlessly. _Izzy and Simon as a couple?_ Nothing, by far, was more hilarious that imagining those two going at it.

"And what makes you think I'm interested in Izzy?"

The next words that came out of Clary's mouth were the reason Jace knew she was the one for him: "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the look of pure admiration in your eyes as you trail behind her no matter where she goes…or maybe it's just the drool that's currently running down your chin as you think about her."

Another silence ensued–this one longer than the others–that was interrupted by the soft scraping of a chair on the floor above him followed by the balcony door swinging shut. Jace felt his heart pick up double time. Did Simon make the agreement with Clary? If so, what did that entail? Simon didn't seem to know much about relationships, but he _was_ a guy so he did have needs that were possibly similar to Jace's. Jace closed his eyes, hoping that Simon would somehow find the right words to tell Clary and that would, in turn, help her help him. Jace smiled at that thought, leaning back in the chair, his mind already reeling with what possibilities tomorrow could bring.

* * *

Jace was pinned against the edge of his seat with his brother, with a death grip on the door handle to prevent himself from being completely crushed or worse, from being shoved out the van to tumble down the very steep, rocky, windy road that was carved into the mountain they were driving up. Dominica was beautiful in all its natural glory, but when it came to things like roads and streets–it was safe to say that even the sedans were bigger in comparison to the roughly paved over streets. Especially when it came to the roads that climbed up the jagged mountains. Just being up a few miles off the ground was enough to have Jace's heart rattling against his rib cage.

"_Ow!" _Jace's head snapped up to see Clary cry out in protest when Simon inadvertently pinned his own body against Clary's very much in the same manner Jonathan had Jace pinned. Making any turn on this windy road resulted in bodies being slammed around with the outer people feeling the weight of it all–literally.

As much as Jace wanted to sit with Clary and her friends and family, he knew he shouldn't. They had danced for a night, Clary's parents knew that much, and that very same night he _kissed _her. He wanted to give her some respectable space whenever her parents were around, just so they didn't get the wrong idea–which Jace still didn't know was.

"Got something on your mind?" Jonathan smirked, pulling Jace out of his reverie.

"Got something on your face?" Jace returned and, before Jonathan could wipe the confusion off his face, Jace did it for him–by reaching out and slapping his cheek. "Never mind. I got it for you."

Jonathan scowled, their father mirroring him, but none of them said a word. In fact, when Jace turned back to face the window, he was more than 100% sure everyone in the van was staring at him including the tour guide. It was dead silent for a second, until they passed some coconut tree that the tour guide decided to ramble about.

Jace didn't remove his gaze from the flying blurs of green that passed his window as the van climbed upwards only because he knew that once he did, his eyes would find Clary's. And if there was one thing he didn't want in that moment, it was to see the concern written in bold on her face.

* * *

**Oooh, touchy!**

**Clary: I cannot believe you slapped your brother.**

**Simon: And it wasn't just a normal slap; you totally pimp-slapped him with the back of your hand!**

**Jace *shrug*: He was asking for it.**

**Clary: What did he exactly do that you decided meant he wanted to be slapped, hmm?**

**Jace *winking*: Let the reader find that out next chapter.**

**Clary *and Simon*: Oh come **_**on**_**! Fine, rate and review everyone!**

**Me: Uh…since when did you guys actually want to promote the story? You guys would always digress, if anything, from the story!**

**Jace: Since you started writing about that kiss. Mmm, I still taste it.**

**Simon *blanching*: God, that was painful to read.**

**Jace: Jealous?**

**Simon: Not in the slightest. Why would I ever want to kiss my own sister?**

**Jace: It was more than you'd ever done, admit it. Pillows don't compare to real lips, just for your information.**

***Simon rendered silent***


	7. The More I See, The Less I Know

**Go updates! All right, I hope you guys love this update as much as I love it because well, it's just THAT awesome. I can't say any more without spoiling something, so READ ON with my song selection to help (or whatever songs you think fit).**

_Songs:_

_Say Hey (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead (When Jace is helping Clary out because to me, it WAS perfect!)_

_Daughters by John Mayer (For Jocelyn and Clary's talk)_

_Blind by Lighthouse (During Jocelyn's slow dance talk with Luke; very sweet!)_

_The Perfect Scene by Mercy Mercedes (Jace and Clary's talk at the end)_

**Just a quick afterthought, if you have any song recommendations at all, please add them in your review or PM them to me! Music helps tons and I love finding out more songs! Thanks :D**

**

* * *

**

"We are here at our first stop: the Titou Gorge!" the tour guide announced, her Creole accent coming out every other word. "So take all your personal belongings that you wish to not leave behind with you because even though the buses will be locked while we hike up, you may never know who or what lurks in these parts of Dominica."

Clary smiled at the other tourists' reactions and began, with the rest of her family, her hike up to the Gorge–one that lasted at most, five minutes and consisted of walking over slippery rocks and then a sturdy metal pipe bridge. Once she got to the gorge, Clary gasped. It was breathtaking; a natural pool that came to be thanks to a crack in solid rock that poured out some of its contents into the "pool".

She felt a shiver of excitement take over when she realized that they were actually going to swim inside the crevice to reach the slight waterfall that was somewhere deep inside the gorge.

"You might want to wear this before you can even think about swimming inside of there," a familiar voice sounded from behind her. Clary didn't even have to open her eyes to see its owner–the very person who haunted her dreams for the past month, the one she actually _kissed_ last night.

She opened her eyes and turned to see Jace–topless with a pair of blue swimming trunks–holding out a life jacket for her. However, it wasn't the unattractive life jacket he was holding out that caught her attention–it was his _skin_. Scars of all shapes, sizes and color covered his epidermis and even though she knew it was messed up to an extent, she was completely immersed by this new prospect. She had a sudden urge to reach out and run her fingers over them while Jace would tell her the history of each and every one…

"You'd think I'd get used to girls always staring at me whenever my shirt is off," Jace mused, "but it never ceases to amuse me when I watch their priceless reactions. Really."

Clary picked her jaw up off the floor and set it into a look of defiance when she snatched the jacket from his hands and pulled it on. She hated the way it constricted her body and mashed her chest up, but the fleeting look of lust behind Jace's eyes as he took in the way the jacket hugged her body made up for its discomfort.

"Come on," Clary simpered, stepping closer and pouting to squeeze another trace of emotion out of Jace, "let's go!" Stepping around him, Clary smiled when she realized she no longer had to worry about whether or not he'd follow her, because since last night, she had an inkling of an idea that he always would–well, for another four days at least.

Seeing Clary in that life jacket nearly killed him; it hugged her curves and really brought out her…well, chest. He had to focus on her forehead in order to keep his eyes from straying, but God could strike him down for all he cared. He couldn't help himself; it was practically encoded in his DNA to act like a total guy when an attractive girl was wearing something very flattering in front of him.

He waited a few seconds for her family to catch up with them before stepping forward to follow behind when a head full of inky black hair came into view. He stared down at those icy blue eyes and almost rolled his eyes when Izzy took a defensive stance in front of him, her hands on her hips.

"Do you mind?" He gestured to the space between them, but when Izzy's lips formed a tight seam, Jace sighed in annoyance and tried to step around her, only to have her standing in front of him again.

"Is something the problem?" he asked. "Or do you just want me to stand here all day so you can stare at me?"

He smirked when her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "Actually no, it's just that I want to talk to you."

He quirked an eyebrow. "And you think right now is a perfectly good time to sit down so we can speculate the true meaning of life over tea and crumpets?"

Izzy's face flushed again, but this time Jace had a feeling it had nothing to do with embarrassment. "Listen you ass," she started but stopped when the tour guide walked over, a questioning look on her face. Izzy glanced at the tour guide and shot Jace a warning look before walking down the eroded stone stairs that led to the pool. Jace waited until she waded over to her family before following suit. He hoped that she wouldn't get in the way between him and Clary. But judging from Izzy's wild mannerisms and Clary's smile as she explained what had just happened, he figured she wasn't a threat…yet.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, Clary, I _swear _something is touching me!" Izzy shrieked, her outburst echoing since the gorge was pretty small and jagged–reminding Clary of Jace's scars with a shiver of delight–but had tall walls that seemed endless.

"No fish i-is a-alive here," Clary hissed through clenched teeth. The tour guide _had_ warned them that no living creatures lived in the Titou Gorge, but she didn't mention that the water was _beyond freezing cold._

"After this, you'll be _dying_ to enter the hot Sulfur Springs!" the tour guide had squealed.

Now Clary knew why.

But as she continued to swim ahead of Izzy –it was a bit of a squeeze, so they all had to swim one in front of the other–the gorge suddenly opened up to a breathtakingly beautiful somewhat circular area deep inside it that had a small yet strong waterfall on the left wall and a sort of natural nest on the wall where the few people that swam ahead of Clary were currently hanging out.

Clary gasped as she watched one of the other tour guides wink at her from above the waterfall before jumping and landing with a splash back into the water. She noticed he was a pretty big man with skin the color of charcoal and strange light brown eyes as he bobbed to the surface and swam up to her.

"Are you a strong swimmer or do you need assistance?" he asked, pulling a life preserver ring that was attached by a long rope to where the hang out zone was.

Clary felt her cheeks heat up–as much as she wanted to swim on her own to get the whole natural feel, she knew she couldn't swim against a strong current.

"I'll help her," Jace's voice echoed. Clary turned around and stared as Jace swam towards them with such grace, it seemed effortless. He took only three seconds to make it from the entrance of the gorge to where they were–a passage way that took the entire group about five minutes to swim.

The lifeguard raised a questioning eyebrow at her and winked before shrugging and offering the life preserver to Jace. Clary watched as Jace kindly declined it and waited until the lifeguard swam to offer help for Izzy before whispering to Jace.

"What are you thinking? I _need _that ring!"

"No," Jace smirked, "you don't. Not when I'm helping you."

Before Clary could ask any more questions, Jace ducked under the water and resurfaced in front of her, his feet directly in front of her. With a lazy grin, he winked. "Grab my ankles, I'll swim for the both of us."

Clary stared at him for a second, her eyes practically bulging out of her head but caved and grabbed onto his ankles for dear life. When he started kicking, Clary lurched forward and had to hold her breath to prevent any water from entering through any orifice. But what he was doing was working: with every kick, he propelled the both of them forward all on his own. Clary smiled, giddy as she felt the strong current tug on her body but she knew that as long as she held on as tightly as she could, it would be almost impossible to separate them.

Once they reached the waterfall, Jace pulled her in close, reveling in the feel of her warm skin against his before lifting her up to his tour guide who was standing by the waterfall and then following suit.

"When you jump," the tour guide warned, "make sure you jump _into_ the water and jump as far as you can. Okay?"

Clary nodded, excitement gripping her stomach.

"The water will carry you to your friends," the tour guide added with a wink. "Jump whenever you feel–" But before he could finish, Clary took a deep breath and did exactly as he said: she _jumped_.

Adrenaline coursed through her body as she went airborne, bringing everything she saw and felt into a greater perspective: the look of awe and concern on her mother's face, the bright light that poured through the gorge from the sun and finally, the deliciously icy cold water as she landed in it.

She was shocked the moment she hit the water not because of its freezing temperature, but because of how _strong_ the current was–so strong, in fact, that within the same five seconds she was in the water, she was already a few feet away from her family.

"Oh Clary," Jocelyn cried, clinging onto her daughter for dear life. Never had Jocelyn witnessed something so scary happen to her daughter and at the same time, seen her daughter emit so much unadulterated happiness.

_"That was so much fun!" _Clary beamed. She turned around in time to see Jace climb up the waterfall and look at her, a slight smile tugging at his lips before he dived perfectly into the water, barely disturbing the frothy water and surfacing a second later.

"Show off," Simon shouted from the hangout zone. Jace spun around and flashed him a quirky smile before swimming back to rest of the adults that were too scared to attempt what the kids were doing. _If that's what the kid considers showing off, _Jace mused,_ then what would he say when he actually sees me trying to show off?_

But that was none of Jace's concern as he swam closer to Clary, a knowing smile on her lips.

* * *

"Clary?" Jocelyn asked once her daughter stepped out of the shower. It was around two o'clock and they'd been on the ship for about an hour already. While Clary and Jocelyn had decided to go back to the cabin to wash up because the Sulfur Springs–which were boiling hot, so the tour guide _had_ been right that going straight there after the Titou Gorge made it all the more worth it–since sulfur reeked of rotten egg, Simon and Luke decided to go eat the lunch buffet they served on the ship. So that left the mother and daughter alone for as long as they pleased, which meant a lot of catching up would ensue.

"Yeah mom?" Clary asked as she pulled her green "Friends don't let friends derive drunk" geek t-shirt Simon had given her since it shrank in the wash on before stepping out of the bathroom, fully dressed. "What's up?"

Jocelyn was sitting on her bed, fresh and clean as well, a genuine smile Clary hadn't seen for a while on her face. "I just wanted to know how the vacation has been for you. You know, your father and I seem to have been floating on Cloud Nine since we got here and I keep forgetting to ask how you've been holding up."

Clary vaguely remembered being in a rotten mood in the beginning and felt like years had passed since she was in a truly bad mood. "I'm good mom, really great actually. This vacation has been everything I needed and more! I'm _beyond _happy that we came here." Running up to her mom, she embraced her tightly and whispered, "Thanks so much for everything."

Jocelyn pulled Clary into her lap like she used to years ago when Clary was much easier to cradle and kissed her on the top of her head. "Anytime, baby. I'm just so happy to see you're in such a happy mood. I couldn't get over the way you smiled today when you jumped off the waterfall, like you were _really_ happy. And I felt like I was really seeing my daughter for the first time."

Clary felt her eyes sting the way they did before the waterworks started up and she buried her head into her mom's chest. "Mom, I-I like a boy. A lot."

Jocelyn tensed up underneath her daughter, but if what Clary had just said really got to her, it had no inflection in her still soft voice. "Is it the blond boy from the Gala? The one you danced with?"

Clary further buried her face into her mom's bosom to hide her flushed face. "Yes," she mumbled. "And I don't know what to do. He's just…amazing to me. And really, really, _really_ cute."

"Oh, I noticed that," Jocelyn laughed. "And if it helps, I can see that he really likes you a lot. You should've _seen_ the look in his eyes when he was dancing with you. And then today, he couldn't have swam faster to you than he did to help you!"

Clary didn't need to be reminded of how Jace looked at her, but it did bring back happy memories–_memories. _Only a day and now she could say that they shared something together.

Pulling back, Clary sat in front of her mother so that she could study her mother's expression when she spoke. "And, well, he kind of…kissed me last night."

Jocelyn's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "Um, well…it seems this is more serious than I thought."

"It's not like that," Clary stammered. "He just said goodnight and then kissed me, nothing else. It wasn't even like a kiss; he just kind of pressed his lips against mine and that's it, I swear." Sure, it was a little bit of a lie, but when it came to Jocelyn, less was more.

Jocelyn relaxed a little. It wasn't like she didn't trust Clary–she did wholeheartedly–but ever since the first day on this cruise, Clary had changed so much. No longer shy, no longer clingy with Simon and no longer reserved. She was happier than ever, and her happiness only doubled Jocelyn's own happiness–something that didn't go unnoticed with Luke. In fact, they had a little talk after the Gala while they slow danced.

"_You're in a very good mood," Luke softly chuckled, his forehead touching hers with their lips just an inch away from each other._

"_Oh?" she giggled like a little schoolgirl. "And what makes you say that, oh Wise One?"_

_Luke pulled her in closer by her hips and kissed her as softly as he could. When he pulled away, he smiled. "Clary's been happy for about two days straight and you haven't stopped smiling since we got here."_

_Jocelyn ducked her head to hide her embarrassed smile. "Is it that obvious?"_

"_More obvious than Clary's constant smiling," Luke laughed. "I'm happy that she's happy and more than happy since you're happier. I missed seeing you smile all the time."_

"_Well," Jocelyn tittered, "I'm starting to think that Clary's happiness has something to do with a special someone."_

"_I agree," Luke nodded. "I think it's the boy she danced with tonight. He seems to be very nice to her and he reminds me of someone I know."_

"_Oh? And who might that be?"_

_This caused Luke's infectious smile to widen. "Me, back when I first laid eyes on you in school."_

Shaking her head, Jocelyn smiled at her daughter, who at that moment, reminded her of herself when she first met Luke. "It's okay, Clary. I highly appreciate the fact that you feel comfortable enough to talk about this boy with me. You have absolutely no idea how many mothers are jealous of me right now. You feel obligated to talk to me, and I will respect your wishes by being as honest as I can be.

"I see the way he looks at you, and the way you look at him and I can tell that he really cares about you, even though it's been a day," Jocelyn sighed. "Just keep in mind that you have about four days left to be together and that means that you might want to make this last, but don't do anything rash you don't feel comfortable doing, including have sex. I know the pressure may be there–"

"Um, mom?" Clary interrupted, her face redder than her hair. "Can we, uh, not talk about this right now? I just want to focus on venting how annoyed and sad I am that we only have a few days together…if you don't mind."

"Of course, Clary," Jocelyn sighed in relief. "Trust me, I feel as awkward as you do talking about sex, but as long as you're still a virgin and don't plan on losing it anytime soon, we can talk about your feelings instead."

"Okay, thank you," Clary giggled nervously. "It's just…I feel _different_, and it may sound weird to say this since I haven't had a boyfriend before, but I really think Jace is special. I don't want to have sex with him, don't worry, but I feel like when we go back home, I won't find someone like him ever again."

"I understand," Jocelyn said softly. "I'm sorry that the one time you find someone, he's not the one you can spend forever with, but that's life and it does suck, doesn't it?"

"Well, I never asked him where he lives," Clary shrugged. "It could be possible we could still see each other if he lives in New York…wait, mom, I know we're having a really interesting conversation right now, but I just need to go now. Can we postpone this conversation for another time?"

Jocelyn nodded, already knowing what her daughter was up to and hugged Clary before she bolted out the door. Left alone in the room, Jocelyn stared at the door where her daughter just proved to her how uncannily similar the two were: whenever Jocelyn wanted something, she didn't just sit around and wait for it to come to her. No, she went out and got it herself.

* * *

Jace had just finished pulling his shirt on when his door was suddenly assaulted by what sounded like a rhinoceros attempting to break it down. Slightly excited to know what awaited him on the other side, Jace called out, "who's there?"

"Is Jace here?" Clary's voice called back. Jace's heart skipped a beat as he walked over to the door and opened it, interrupting her mid-sentence. "Because I _really_ need to–oh, hi."

"Any particular reason you were attempting to knock my door down?" he asked. "You know what I would've found hilarious? If this was the wrong room and you broke some stranger's door down. Now that, I'd _love_ to see."

Clary narrowed her eyes and Jace felt his heart thud audibly. _Out come the claws._ "You're on fire today, I swear."

Jace widened his eyes and looked at both of his arms before saying, "Where? I don't see any flames. I really hope it isn't going to harm this beautiful face of mine. It's how I get through the days."

"Ugh, can I just talk, please?" Clary pleaded.

"Well, what's stopping you? You have a voice, don't you?" he teased with a smile.

Clary rolled her eyes, but Jace could tell that she secretly loved his taunts. "I just had a quick question, that's all. Um, I know this sounds kind of creepy, but where exactly do you live?"

Jace raised his eyebrows; he hadn't expected her to say _that_, but he figured it made sense. "Why? Are you going to stalk me if I tell you?"

"Just answer the question."

"That's not a denial, but if you _must_ know, I live in New York City. Why?" But Jace didn't get an answer; no, instead he got a short redhead throwing herself at him, covering his face in kisses as she jumped up and down in place. And he was perfectly content with the alternative.

* * *

**Jace: Mmmm, the things I'd do to have you attack me like that again.**

**Simon *horrified*: **_**And mom approves of this?**_

**Jace: Face it, Garroway–women love me. Including your sister and mom.**

**Clary: Ugh…good to know my competition is my MOM.**

**Izzy:…Soooo, when's the wedding?**

***Alec guffaws***

***awkward silence***

**Alec: OH COME ON, IT'S NOT LIKE I DON'T HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR!**

**Clary: It's not that, it's just…where have you been during the majority of this story?**

**Alec *pointing at Nixie*: Blame her.**

**Me *appalled*: I don't like you any less than the others, you'll get your turn eventually!**

**Jace: Yes, Alec, you will. In the mean time, let's focus on me, shall we?**

**Everyone but Jace: Ugh…**


	8. What To Do?

**Oh boy, this is kind of short :( sorry to disappoint in that way, but it is CRAMMED with action. So prepare yourselves for a new friendship , a wonderful first date, a confession and a cliffie :) Woo! Rate, Review, etc…**

_Songs:_

_Smile by Uncle Kracker (I'm a sucker for cheesy romances, and this song is full of it, which is why I love it! For Clary and Jace's first date!)_

_Tell Me What To Do by Metro Station (When Clary gives Simon advice…oh, the ironic title)_

_Feel It In My Bones by Tegan & Sara ft. DJ Tiesto (Just because I like it a lot, and it's a good conclusion song.)_

_

* * *

_

"Knock, knock," Jace chuckled once Izzy swung the cabin door open. He couldn't help it; where teasing Clary was flirting, teasing Izzy was where he got his shits and giggles.

Izzy narrowed her eyes. "Not you. I _told_ you seven thirty, not seven! Go be a dick somewhere else!"

Jace frowned. "Why not here? It's fun to annoy you."

She folded her arms across her chest and harrumphed. "Because I'm currently making over your girlfriend and you aren't allowed to see anything yet!"

"Izzy," Clary groaned from somewhere within the room. Jace tried to look around Izzy, but failed to when she stuck a hand out to block his view. With the same hand, she grabbed his face and shoved him back. It took all those years of etiquette to not hit her for touching him without permission. Now, if she were a guy…

"_Go!" _Izzy hissed, then suddenly smiled when she made eye contact with someone over Jace's shoulders. Jace turned to see her brother, Alec, staring at the two of them, his expression guarded and curious at the same time.

"Hey Alec," she sang. "Wanna hang out with Jace?"

Jace and Alec exchanged a look and shrugged.

"Sure," Alec shrugged.

"Why not," Jace agreed.

Together, the two boys walked down the hallway, not really saying much until they were out of Izzy's earshot.

"Your sister is crazy," Jace remarked as they climbed the stairs up to the upper deck.

Alec snorted. "Crazy doesn't even begin to cover her."

And just like that, the two of them became friends–well, sort of. None of them felt any of the previous awkwardness as they continued to talk about anything and everything that crossed either of their minds. By the time they had walked all over the ship twice, Alec and Jace had established a friendship to a startling degree.

As cruel as it sounded, Jace never considered anyone worthy to really know him–and as it was, Alec didn't know much about him–except Clary, and now Alec. Although they knew different details about him, they knew him the same: more than anyone else did.

"Good luck with your date tonight," Alec winked as he slipped inside the Lightwood cabin.

"You too," Jace shot back, smiling when he caught Alec flushing before the door slammed shut. Alec had apparently spent his own time away from his family by secretly dating a very flamboyant man–one Jace had the honor of meeting while they passed through the casino–that went by the name Magnus Bane. He jumped at every opportunity to see Magnus and was even going to attend the show with him later that night.

The sound of the cabin door opening again snapped Jace to his senses. He took in the shock of unruly red hair, the pale skin littered with freckles and emerald green eyes and sucked in his breath when he took in the rest of her outfit. She was wearing a black, tight strapless tube top and what looked like killer black leather leggings.

"I can't bre-breathe," she gasped, yanking at the shiny material. "I'll be back." Jace smirked as Clary fumbled with the room key, dashed in and couldn't stifle his laughter when he heard Simon scream in horror.

"_What are you wearing?"_

"Don't judge me, your little _crush_ decided to lend me some of her clothes, now _TURN AROUND!_"

Jace didn't need to be in the room to imagine the look on Simon's face and read his mind: Simon was definitely picturing Izzy in those clothes and whether or not he liked it most likely depended on what video games he was into.

A few seconds later, Clary stepped out wearing a green v-cut spaghetti strap top with lace rimming the hem and black skinny jeans–something Jace knew she was comfortable in and appreciated very much.

"Sorry for that," Clary blushed. "Izzy is, uh, ridiculous to say the least. The only thing I like that she did was my makeup." Jace tore his eyes away from her body long enough to notice that her emerald green eyes were now rimmed with a smoky gray, which only enhanced the green pigment in her irises.

Braving a step closer, Jace took her hand in his and smiled. "I like you just the way you are as long as you're comfortable with it."

* * *

The date was mind-blowingly amazing; first Jace took her to catch the Wedding Show (where newlyweds, mid-marriage couple–divide the oldest couple's years of being together in half and see who has that number of years of being married–and oldest couple compete to see who knows each other the best through a series of trivia questions about each other), which was hysterical–especially when the eldest couple was asked, "if your husband was stranded on a deserted island and he could choose who he would want to see as a last visit, who would it be: a) a nun or b) a hooker". While the wife wrote "b) a hooker", the old man was crafty enough to write down "a hooker dressed as a nun".

After that, he toured her around the ship similarly to how he and Alec had walked around the ship until he took her to the kid's club where Max was with kids his age. That night happened to be arts and crafts night, and since Clary couldn't resist, they buckled down and took part in it.

Max ended up drawing his own manga-style cartoon that was about a girl he liked in the club named Jessie, who he wound up giving the cartoon to and who kissed him on the cheek as her way of saying thank you. Jace gave him a high-five and told him he was catching up to Jace's status. Max, of course, didn't understand this, but loved the attention anyway.

Jace gave Clary his fingerprint painting of two stick figures–one, a girl with red hair and the other, a boy with golden curls–holding hands. Clary couldn't keep her laughter in when she noticed the boy had super stick figure muscles and was wearing a cape.

Right when the clock read midnight, Clary glanced up at the clock from cleaning up the playroom since she'd volunteered to stay after and clean up along with Jace, and immediately grabbed Jace's hand.

When Jace raised his eyebrow at her, she responded with three words: "Midnight Dessert Buffet." They couldn't run fast enough before they reached the upper deck, where the event was taking place.

* * *

"Eating this much should be considered a sin," Clary sighed, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach in satisfaction. She had five slices of different cheesecakes, a slice of ice cream cake, several cannolis, rainbow cookies, chocolate chip cookies–anything that was edible and in plain sight.

Jace, however, was still working his way through a second _whole_ cheesecake and possibly had triple, if not double, Clary's proportions. How he managed to keep the effects of weight gain off was a mystery to her.

"How are you _full_?" Jace stared at her, his eyes wide with a frosting beard on his chin.

Clary laughed and reached over, swiped off some of the frosting and licked it off her finger. "Mm," she purred. "Delicious."

Jace stared at her with what he hoped was an impassive expression while millions of possible "delicious" scenarios played out in his mind.

"Ugh, now I'll have to go to the gym tomorrow," Clary whined, bringing Jace back to reality. "I'm such a fattie."

"You could go with me," Jace prompted, even though he hadn't been to the gym here. "But I have to warn you–I'm very strict and I'll make sure we get some muscles on those bones of yours."

Clary gaped. "Oh, you are _so _on," she challenged, sticking out a sugar-crusted hand.

"Prepare to get your ass whipped," Jace chuckled, taking her hand and shaking it once. When a flush crept up Clary's face, Jace smiled in satisfaction.

"I'll play tonight around three-ish, three thirty-ish," Jace smiled. "I'll give you an hour to clean up and gossip with Izzy, okay?"

Clary bounced up on the balls of her feet, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and kissed him silent. The kiss itself lasted for about twenty seconds, but it felt like twenty hours later when they pulled away.

"All right," she concluded. "I'll hear you later!"

"Yes you will," Jace laughed as he turned to walk back to the elevators.

Once Clary was inside her cabin, she was greeted by her giggly parents and a morose-looking Simon. She tossed Simon a "we-must-talk-later" look, one that he returned with a pleading look and a quick nod before plugging his iPod ear buds into his ears.

Picking out her pajamas, she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her before peeling off her clothes and taking a quick hot shower. With the hot water pounding down on her skin, Clary closed her eyes, reveling in the memories of the night. From the look in Jace's eyes the moment he saw her to the way he looked after he kissed her good night, Clary had never seen him look so _alive_. No one had ever looked at her that way before, with pure admiration and affection, and just thinking about it was enough to make her blush again.

Once she was fully dressed, she stepped out of the bathroom and glanced at the clock; it read 2:30 am, so Clary figured that was enough time to have a quick talk with Simon and a quick recap of the date with Izzy. When Simon spotted her, he immediately stood up and gestured for the balcony. Hesitantly, she followed him and smiled at her parents when they gave her a questioning look.

"I'm such an idiot," Simon groaned once the door was closed behind Clary. She plopped into the chair next to him and positioned it so that she could study him while he stared out at the black sea before him. He was stressed–Clary could tell by the way he was leaned over, his elbows on his knees and his hands running through his hair and face. "Ugh…"

"Don't die on me now," Clary laughed nervously. What was the matter with him? Clary had never seen him so sad and angry at himself simultaneously.

He glanced up at her from in between his fingers and groaned again. "Clary, I'm so screwed. So, so _royally screwed._"

"Well," Clary sighed, leaning back and crossing her legs as she folded her arms across her chest, "that's nice and all, but do you mind telling me why, exactly?"

Simon groaned once more and Clary had to lean in closer to barely make out the words he was mumbling with his hands in front of his face.

"Excuse me? I didn't catch that with your hands blocking your mouth."

Simon dropped his hands so they hung limply in his lap and glared at her. "I told Izzy how I felt and she just stared at me, then left. Okay? Now you see how I'm so royally screwed!"

Clary openly gaped at her brother. Never in all her life would she have expected Simon to do something so…out of character. He was always so shy and whenever he was within a mile radius of a girl he liked, he would clam up and turn an unhealthy shade of red while a sheen layer of sweat would coat his entire body. So how, in the Angel's name, was he able to even crack a single word out to her, let alone those words that would seal his fate possibly forever?

"I-uh..._wow_," Clary breathed. "You got some serious guts, I'll give you that." Then, an idea hit her. "Simon, you do know what this means, right?"

Now it was his turn to stare at her as if she was the crazy one. "Um, were you not paying attention to what I just said? I already know what this means: she _hates_ me!"

"Not necessarily," Clary giggled, her voice rising as she realized what small detail Simon never paid attention to. Now _that_ was typical Simon for you. "She likes you! It's obvious!"

When Simon stared at her as if his infinitesimally small shred of sanity left in him depended on her very next words, she continued. "This is Izzy we're talking about. Even if I just got to know her, she's a pretty easy person to read. She's that type of person who, no matter what the circumstance is, _always _shows her emotions. So if she did hypothetically hate you, she would've made it _very_ obvious by screaming at you or something like that. Now, she didn't do anything of that, did she? She clammed up, which probably means she's hiding her emotions from you, which probably means there's a good chance she's unsure of her feelings for you–which, loosely translated, means there's a chance she actually _likes_ you!"

Simon stared at her as if he were about to die and she was an angel, granting him a second chance for a better life filled with money and tons of single girls–something that probably wasn't too far off from his own fantasies. "I could kiss you right now, but I don't want to know what Jace tastes like."

Clary narrowed her eyes imperceptibly, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. Not only had she managed to make her brother happy, but she also found out the truth: she felt like a true detective. Hey, maybe Nancy Drew was interested into a having a redhead for a partner?

When Clary stood up, Simon stood up as well. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked, excitement radiating off of him.

"Going to talk to Izzy–not about you, but about my date tonight. You can go and talk to her after I'm done, okay?"

Simon nodded with a fervor she rarely saw without him wearing his Xbox headphones and a game controller in his hand. Clary rolled her eyes and slipped inside, told her parents where she was going and was inside the Lightwood cabin a second later.

"Well?" Izzy prompted, radiating a similar excitement to Simon's.

"I have two things to tell you," Clary giggled. "Both I want to talk about in private."

Clary said her hellos with the other Lightwoods and followed Izzy out onto the balcony. Before speaking, Clary banged on the metal divider that separated hers and the Lightwoods' rooms and laughed when she heard Simon howl in pain as he stepped away from the door and into his cabin.

"How'd you…?" Izzy began to ask, then shrugged. "Never mind, I don't even want to know."

After Clary gave a brief recap of what happened that night–with Izzy "aw"-ing and "ew"-ing at the appropriate times–she took a deep breath and then decided to slip in the question she was dying to have answered. "So, whatdoyouthinkaboutSimon?"

Izzy tilted her head to the side. "Come again?"

"What. Do. You. Think. About. Simon? You know, tallish, brownish hair, brownish eyes, video game nerd? Has a tendency to compare real life situations to his own imaginary world?" Clary joked.

And when Izzy decided to fix her eyes to her knotted fingers, Clary struggled to contain her excitement. "I don't know," Izzy admitted. "He's really nice to me and…I don't know. There's something about him that's different from the other guys, you know? He doesn't try to get into my pants, first off, and even when he's all immature with his video games, he's still a lot more mature than the other guys I've dated before. He's…special. I don't know how else to say it."

"Aw, _Izzy!_" Clary squealed, pulling the black-haired girl into a tight embrace. "You're so cute when you're like this!"

Izzy, however, wasn't really in the touchy-feely mood and just sat there, taking the hug without reciprocating it. "I'm just…I don't know what to do. Should I say yes to him or not?"

"Izzy, do you have a quarter?"

Izzy stared at Clary as if she had two heads, but withdrew one from her pocket anyway. "Yeah…why?"

Clary grabbed it and held it in front of Izzy. "Heads up means say yes, heads down means no." Izzy stared at the coin for a second, unease visible in her eyes, before nodding in agreement.

Clary flicked the coin and watched it sail in the air for a second before reaching out and snatching it.

"Hey!" Izzy protested. "You're supposed to let it fall!"

"Quick: what were you hoping for? Heads or tails?"

"_What?"_

"Just tell me what you were hoping for," Clary insisted.

Izzy looked at the floor for a second before harrumphing. "Heads."

With a wink, Clary laughed. "Then go out with him. The point of my flipping the coin was that it's only when you aren't in control of the end result, you already know what you're hoping for since that's all you can do: hope that you get what you want. And Simon is what you want, so go get him and stop arguing with me!"

Izzy stared at Clary for a second before a smile spread across her lips and she stood up, hugged Clary and walked back inside with her. Hand in hand, they walked to the Garroway cabin and Clary pulled Izzy inside with her.

"Hey Simon," Clary sang. When he looked up, Clary stifled her laughter by biting on her lower lip. "You have someone who wants to talk to you."

Simon looked from Clary to Izzy to his parents and stood up when his parents nodded their approval.

"It's not like there are many places you can get lost on this ship," Luke laughed. "Just remember we have to wake up early tomorrow, okay?"

Simon nodded and then offered his hand to Izzy, who released Clary's and took it gratefully. Clary fought to keep her tears of joy behind–this was the first time she acted as matchmaker for anyone, and now her best friend and brother were both going to have their happy ever after. Things were going so well, Clary had to pinch herself to remember that this wasn't a dream at all–that sometimes, reality could actually be _this_ good.

Bidding both her parents goodnight, Clary went outside and began to set up her bed–a process that used to take a few minutes but now only took a few seconds.

Once she was settled, she smiled in anticipation to hear Jace's beautiful music. But when a few minutes passed and no wonderful strumming reached her ears, Clary began to panic. Where was Jace? Did he forget about her? Or did he…?

Her last question was answered when she heard a faint snoring. Clary settled back down when she heard him and smiled at the thought of him sprawled out on a chair similar to her, passed out from exhaustion. With that thought in mind, Clary curled up into a fetal position and within minutes, was long gone.

If only she'd stay up longer to hear the snoring fade, replaced with sinister laughter–laughter that didn't belong to Jace at all.

**Jace: You better not mess up this pretty face or else you'll wake up tomorrow morning breathing through a tube.**

**Me: Threatin' me, Morgenstern? You sure aren't in a position to do so, for your information. Not unless you have a sick death wish.**

**Clary: WHERE THE HELL IS JACE? YOU BETTER NOT KILL HIM!**

**Me: I'm not giving anything away–that's for you to not know until the reader finds out :)**

**Simon: So wait–while I'm out getting lucky, Clary's going to lose her boyfriend? That **_**sucks**_**.**

**Clary *glaring at Simon*: SHUT. UP.**

**Jace: Be prepared, Nixie. Your inbox is about to get stuffed with demanding reviews from my lovely fan club. Just a warning, because if you do kill me, thousands upon thousands of teenage girls will find where you live and do very naughty things to you.**

**Clary: Way to not make that sound creepy and sexual at the same time.**

**Jace *shrugging*: It's what I do best.**

**Simon: I don't know if I should be scared or concerned for Clary's sake…**

**Me: Be both. Over-prepared is always better than being unprepared.**

**Simon: Oh-kay then.**


	9. I Look Around And It's Like I'm Blinded

**UPDATE! Don't raise your pitchforks yet! I know it's a short one, but I just had the sudden urge to not wait and so here we go!**

**P.S. The first person to get the boxer reference gets a chance to learn a secret about this story :) SO BE THE FIRST REVIEW IF YOU CAN!**

_A Beautiful Mess by Jason Mraz (for Clary's sadness…iTunes chose it for me on shuffle!)_

_Out of Control by Hoobastank (for a majority of Jace's parts, these are his thoughts in a nutshell.)_

_

* * *

_

His sense of hearing was the first sense to come back to him as Jace slowly detached himself from the blackness he'd succumbed to the-Angel-knows how long ago. Soon after gaining his hearing, Jace was rendered immobile by the shock of excruciating pain, as if every inch of his body was being set on fire. Not caring who heard him, Jace emitted a low groan and swore when he tried to shift positions, only to cause more pain to shoot up his arms and legs.

Upon opening his eyes, Jace realized he wasn't in his cabin anymore; no, he had absolutely no idea where he was. It was pitch-black for one thing and reeked of stagnant water, something that made the bile in his stomach churn and slowly creep up his esophagus, burning his already raw throat.

But that wasn't what caused him alarm; what did was that his arms were tied behind the blistering hot pole his back was leaning against, secured there by what felt like too-tight manacles that seemed to be crusted over with his own blood. That, and his pants–also crusted with dry blood–were rolled up, revealing that each ankle was handcuffed to the scorching hot horizontal pole he stood on.

"What the–?" he swore, trying and failing to rattle the manacles. He let out another howl of pain as the manacles–the very ones caked with blood–ripped apart from his skin since the dry blood acted as a glue of sorts and rattled about, giving him no leeway whatsoever.

"Don't even bother," another voice whimpered, this one very familiar. It sounded not too far off, but with the whistling of the steam being released from behind him–burning him in the process, mind you–it was hard to tell. The fact that there was no lighting at all didn't alleviate the situation one bit.

"Who's there?" Jace shouted hoarsely, his throat searing with pain. "What in the Devil's name are you and don't say human because _no_ human is capable of this type of torture!"

"Jace," the other voice laughed mirthlessly, a sad sound. "It's me; your father. I'm tied up as well."

"Dad?" Jace, despite the current circumstance, felt his heart thud, knowing that at least he wasn't alone in this predicament. Maybe, if they worked together, they could find their way out and catch the goddamn creature who did this to them… "Is Jonathan here as well?"

"Actually, I am," Jonathan replied, sounding not very far off. Jace felt his heart leap, but only for a split second when he heard footfalls.

"Who's there?" Jace spat. "Who are you? _SHOW YOURSELF TO ME, YOU BASTARD!_"

"Jace," his father said in a half-warning, half-pleading tone. This confused Jace. Why would he warn his own son to back down? Unless…

A sudden burst of pure white light in front of Jace's eyes blinded him for a second, but when his eyes adjusted, Jace couldn't hide the scream that bubbled in his chest the moment he saw who was cradling the light in one hand, and what that person held in his other hand.

* * *

"Stop worrying so much," Izzy chided as she absentmindedly played with Simon's hair with one hand, the other spearing a mini-triangle she'd cut out of a pancake. Clary looked up at the raven-haired girl long enough to flash a dirty look. "What? Worry lines cause you to age faster, and I'm only looking out for a friend."

"I know but…" Clary trailed off the moment she spotted a head of blond curls, only to have her little garden of hope wither away the second that head turned to face her and she realized it wasn't Jace.

"Clary," Izzy sighed dramatically, dropping her hand from Simon's hair. Simon, who had had a glazed look in his eye the moment Izzy touched him, shook his head and stared at Clary as if he'd realized she was there for the first time. "Boys are lazy and are prone to sleeping in late. So what if he misses breakfast? That's a very typical thing to do, and I'm sure you know that as well seeing as you have a brother."

"I guess," Clary said glumly, focusing back on her own chocolate chip pancake. As a kind gesture, Izzy had gotten maple syrup and drawn a smiley face on the pancake with it, but now it seemed that the face was just taunting her. If the pancake could talk, Clary figured it would've said something along the lines of: "ha-ha, my life is so much better than yours. I don't have to feel emotions; I just am made and consumed. You have to have the complicated life and I'm so much better than you!"

Without thinking about it, Clary reached for her knife and stabbed the pancake smiley face in the eye, drawing the knife down slowly until it reached the corner of its lip. She didn't need to look up to see the looks that Izzy and Simon were probably giving her.

* * *

The rest of the day didn't improve a bit; no signs of Jace at the disembarking gate in St. Lucia–even though she distinctly remembered him telling her they were signed up for the same excursions–and Clary's heart sank when she was forced to sit by herself on a bus that only had two-seater chairs and everyone else paired off, including Alec with Max.

The ride was long and bumpy and by the time they reached the mud baths, Clary was sick to her stomach–the ride being the least of the reasons why she was nauseous. Somewhere deep down inside of her, Clary had a gut feeling that Jace wasn't just "sick" as Izzy so easily dismissed it–no, something was _horribly _wrong.

By the time that they reached the cruise ship, Clary ran into the bathroom first, showered as fast as she ever thought possible, put clothes on and ran out of the cabin while slipping the room key into her back pocket. She didn't stop running until she reached his cabin and she screeched to a halt in a similar manner of a cartoon, then proceeded to almost knock down the door with her fist.

Which was why she almost fell flat on her face when the door swung open. Clary caught herself and gasped in shock when she took in the familiar curls, the face she'd recognize anywhere and finally, the scar-clad skin that was exposed almost completely save for a pair of black boxers.

She felt her face flush, but threw herself at him anyway, trying desperately to kiss him and was genuinely shocked when he grabbed her by her arms and pried her off of him, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Jace," Clary panted. "It's me, Clary! Where have you _been_? Why weren't you on the shore excursion today? I-I missed you." She couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice, especially since Jace just stared at her as if he had no idea as to who she was.

Then, right before she felt her sanity crack, Jace's furrow cleared away and his lips spread into a warm smile. "Ah, yes. About that." He let her go and gestured to behind him. "Father has the runs and Jonathan and I have been taking care of him. We simply could not go on the shore excursion today. I am sorry."

Clary just stared. The gnawing feeling that something was horribly wrong spread throughout her body, knotting her stomach tightly and causing her knees to tremble, but that itself was wrong: here was Jace, standing right in front of her, looking safe and fine. But still…she just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"All right," Clary said slowly. "Well, in that case, will I see you tonight? Will you play for me tonight?"

Jace stared at her blankly for a second, then that infectious smile came up again. "Quite possibly. And I will play for you but–" Then what happened next truly terrified Clary. Jace stopped mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly crossing as his body started to convulse, spazzing in a way that seemed very unnatural.

"Jace…?" She took a step closer and laid her hand out to his chest, only to get burned by the intense heat he was suddenly radiating. _"Jace?"_

Suddenly, Jonathan appeared and before Clary knew it, Jace was pinned down on the ground with his brother on top of him. "You stupid little piece of–" Jonathan snarled, pinning Jace's arms behind him, but then abruptly stopped when he realized Clary was standing a few inches away, her eyes widen in alarm.

Jonathan froze, then flashed her his most charming smile that would've worked on any other day to woo her had he not sprung out of nowhere and was currently pinning down the love of her life. "Why, hello there. You must be Clary. I must apologize that you have to see this, but as you can tell, Jace is an epileptic. He usually takes his medicine only when he goes out, the bastard, and clearly had forgotten to take it now. If you could please just leave us alone…?"

Clary's throat was raw and dry, the gnawing feeling completely taken over her, but she nodded once and quickly bolted from the scene simply because instinct told her. With every pounding step that took her away from the dreaded cabin, Clary never felt more certain about something in her life than she did in that moment. And that certainty was that there was _definitely_ something abnormal going on in that cabin.

* * *

Jace lifted his head and opened up his eyes, slowly regaining consciousness. _Where was he? _Jace was suddenly hit with a nasty case of dé jà vu and had to close his eyes and focus on anything else to keep the memory onslaught from overwhelming him. He vaguely recalled being back in the cabin with Jonathan standing directly in front of him moving his lips, but what was he _saying_? Jace wanted to know so desperately, but the words were a soft low drone in the background and regardless of how hard he tried or how much sweat dripped down his forehead as he struggled to remember, nothing came out at him.

The next memory was of him waking up the first time–or at least, he thought it was the first time–and taking in this place. Now, _where was 'this place'_? Pipes, steam, that horrible stagnant water odor…_he was in the boiler room!_ Of course! Jace allowed himself to revel in the fact he was able to remember something, which was huge progress for him. He had woken up several times and wasn't able to recall a damn thing, and the fact that he was able to make himself _remember_ was a step in the right direction.

Okay, now the real question: _why was he here?_ Jace could taste his own sweat in his mouth as it leaked in, pouring down his face in rivulets of different widths all the way down his shirt and pants. God, was he a disgustingly drenched mess.

Jace let out a groan and immediately clammed up, mentally chiding himself. Of all the things he remembered, the most prominent memory was a simple command–don't ever make a noise. It was one of the first things he committed to memory and he had already broken the pattern.

"Jace," a hoarse voice rasped. "Jace–is that you? Are you conscious?"

Well, now he had no choice. "Yes."

"Oh thank God"–the voice he quickly recognized as his dad's–"thank God you're awake when I need you to be. Listen, they aren't here okay? It's safe for me to talk, but I don't know how long I have until they come again. I need you to listen to me and believe every word I say, all right? Don't question or interrupt me. Promise me that."

"I promise, dad," Jace nodded vigorously, regardless of the sparks that popped in the corners of his sight.

"Good, good." A pause. "What I'm about to tell you will shock you and possibly make you hate me for life, but you need to know this. You were born for a reason, brought onto this world for this reason and this reason alone: you are an experiment."

* * *

**BUM BUM BUUUUMMM! How's that for a cliffie? Mm, I'm pretty excited about this sudden twist of events, anyone else agree?**

**Jace: I sure as hell am not! You lied to me! You **_**are**_** an evil sadist out to get me, aren't you?**

**Me: Maybe :) or maybe I'm just out to bother Clary.**

**Clary: HEY!**

**Me *shrugs*: Just an idea I'm tossing out there.**

**Jace: If I get a scar on my face, I just might have to kill you.**

**Me: I dare you to try.**

**Simon: Oh god…this just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?**

**Jace: You just love the bloodshed, aren't you? I'm going to call you a bloodsucker from now on.**

**Simon *appalled*: **_**What?**_** That doesn't even make sense!**

**Jace: Sure it does, bloodsucker.**

**Clary: Jace has a penchant for nicknames, sorry.**

**Izzy: Then do I even want to know mine?**

**Jace *innocuously*: Of course you do!**

**Me: Ugh…at this point, we'll never know what happens to Jace's face.**

**Alec: …That's what she said.**

***Everyone stares at Alec***

**Alec: OH COME ON, NOT THIS AGAIN!**

**Me: Aaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnddd, we're done!**


	10. Last Possible Update :'

**So, I figure I'm too kind of a FF'er because I update ALL the time and I'm barely getting any feedback back from you guys, and I cook and I clean and I take out the trash…Agh, I'm so annoying. I'm betting none of you guys even read this! How rude! How about this: if I get at **_**least**_** twenty more reviews for this story (any chapter, not just this), I'll continue it. Or else I won't post up any more updates. Muahahaha, I'm evil. But you have to understand from my perspective that I get a little disappointed when I work **_**so**_** damn hard on this story and barely anyone comments on it…it's disheartening and I start to see no point in writing it and posting it online if no one even bothers writing back. I really feed off your feedback as a whole even if it's just "oh cool, I like this chapter" (even though short reviews like that kind of annoy me because of how brief they are) and without them, well, what's the point?**

_Songs:_

_Mannequin by Katy Perry (I really feel like this is Clary's thought process of Jace just in general, but more so now than ever because of his hot then coldness.)_

_The Bird and The Worm by The Used (for Jace's "enlightenment")_

_The Death and Resurrection Show by Killing Joke (for Clary's "dream" scene)_

_

* * *

_

Much to Clary's surprise, Jace did show up to dinner with his family. She observed him from afar, just over Simon's shoulder and tried to see if anything was off–and at first, everything _seemed_ normal; he was cracking jokes, throwing little grains of rice at Jonathan and earning himself a snappy comeback from their father every now and then. But then when Jace looked up at her, actually making eye contact with her, his amber eyes didn't light up the way she anticipated them to. No, her stare was returned by one cool and calculating, which only reduced her to feeling like a microorganism he was simply observing through a microscope.

So of course, later that night when she went out to sleep on the balcony, she wasn't surprised to not hear a single noise from the balcony below her–the final blow that truly hit her below the waist, KO'ing her just like in Mortal Kombat. With a dull ache in her chest, Clary plopped down into her makeshift bed and silently let the tears that threatened to spill all day pour out, trailing down from the corner of her eye to the dip of her nose, where they did their leap of faith only to meet their demise on her pillow.

The dream she had that night didn't alleviate her pain a bit; in it, she was standing in a dark room with a single spotlight shining down on her. Then, not a few feet away did another spotlight shine down on a head full of blond curly locks, _her_ favorite blond curly locks, and without thinking twice, she ran to Jace. But the second before she could fling herself at him, another spotlight shone down a few feet to her left and Clary stared as another Jace stood in its halo of light. None of the were looking up, so the light didn't touch their faces and as Clary started to doubt which Jace was real and which wasn't, another spotlight appeared a few feet behind the other Jaces, followed a second later by three more spotlights until an entire _army_ of Jaces were before her, none of them flinching or lifting up their faces to reveal to her their true identities.

"_Clary,"_ they all chanted in a monotonous voice that froze her to her very core. _"Clary…Claarrryyy…"_

"CLARY!"

Clary bolted upright, only to collide with something that felt hard, like a thick human skull. _"OW!"_ she cried at the same time the person she must've bumped into cried out. Instantly, she recognized it was Simon by the way he whined and when she opened one eyelid, her guess was confirmed. That, and, she realized in shock, that it was already morning. _How could it be morning if I just fell asleep?_

"You were grumbling in your sleep," Simon groaned as he pulled up Clary's feet, held them in the air while he situated himself on the second chair before placing her feet back on his lap. "Something about _'which one is which'_? Do I even want to know?"

"_I_ don't even want to know," Clary mumbled while she rubbed the tender spot on her forehead where she had collided with Simon. "I have a question, though: have you noticed that Jace has been acting…out of character?"

Simon rubbed his hand along his stubbly jaw, a sign he was deep in thought, before sighing and shrugging. "I mean, he's never not into character–and by that I mean he's always so quirky, typically an ass, but with his own quirks, so I can't be a good judge on that matter. But if you mean have I noticed him avoiding you lately, then yes, I have."

Clary let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in. "Okay _good_. So I'm not the only one who noticed."

"Why do you ask?"

Clary shot him a dubious look. "Did you not just hear what I said? He's been acting _weird._ And I have no clue why. I mean, if I was a bad kisser or something, he would've made it obvious from the start, but that's not it. And he even promised to go to the gym with me two days ago for yesterday right after the excursion he _said_ he was signed up for! You've got to admit that's a little suspicious."

"I'm not saying it isn't," Simon agreed. "Did you go talk to him?"

"I tried," Clary frowned, recalling the little episode he had when he saw her. "Let's just say it didn't end too well. He had some kind of epileptic seizure–or at least that's what his brother told me when he was trying to wrestle him down to take his medicine–but it looked more like the time I spilled water on your computer…sorry about that, by the way."

Simon froze. "Wait…like a glitch? Not really a twitch?"

"Mhm," Clary nodded. "It was really weird. And the entire time he was super jerky, not really smooth and badass like he always is."

"Not smooth nor badass," Simon echoed, falling back into that deep contemplative face of his. "Hmm, that is suspicious. Maybe he got kidnapped and was replaced with a robot or something."

"Simon!" Clary gasped, slapping him on the arm but smiling despite her tone. She had to admit, it did seem far-fetched to even entertain the idea…but something about it felt _right_, as weird as it sounded. "You may be onto something."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that at this point, you're willing to take that as a legitimate excuse rather than believe that a boy just isn't interested in you?"

Clary hesitated. Okay, it was _beyond_ far-fetched, but she just couldn't shake that rising feeling in her gut that told her that she was on the right path. "Well, maybe not a robot…but he isn't himself. Look, you would notice if Izzy started acting weird, right? That something was _completely _off about her. That's how I feel about Jace and sure, maybe I'm being irrational, but…you've got to trust me on this one, okay?"

Simon pondered this for a second before shaking his head, pulling her feet off of his lap and standing up. Holding his hand out for her, he shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

* * *

"I don't understand," Jace whispered hoarsely. "An experiment? For what?"

"I haven't much time to explain it all," his father replied. "Just know that I had absolutely no idea what was going on when I could've prevented it and had I known, I would've _never_ in a million years wished this upon anyone, not even my greatest enemy."

"Dad," Jace implored. "Please, just tell me!" He so badly wanted to know, _needed_ to know who–or worse comes to worst, _what_–he was. He had to know that he had a reason to exist and just what that reason was.

A sigh. "I had a good friend long ago," he explained. "We grew up together like brothers, really. Sometimes, we were even convinced ourselves that we were twins because of our proximity birthday-wise, height-wise, even appearance-wise. No one would've guessed we weren't related just by looking at us alone. The only difference between us was our eye color, since my eyes were green and his were black–the color of the midnight sky.

"Ever since I could remember, my best friend always seemed to be the leader out of the two and I used to think it was because he was a few months older than me. But then as we got older, I realized that wasn't just the reason. It was because he was charismatic and knew exactly what he wanted, and would certainly do anything to get what he wanted."

Jace winced, those words sounding all too familiar except they were coming out of his own father's mouth instead of Jonathan's. "It got to the point where I actually had to warn him a few times that maybe this time he was pushing the envelope, but that would only elicit a laugh from him. 'It's never enough until you get what you want,' he would always say, 'and even then, I'm never satisfied.' If only I knew back then just how devoted he was to those very words…"

"So sorry to interrupt your little reverie," Jace intercepted. "But how does this have anything to do with me? You might want to hurry up since our 'kidnappers' might come back any second now."

"Ah, yes," his father chuckled ruefully. "I tend to get a little carried away. During our time at Idris Academy, Jace had started to obsess over this theory that maybe we weren't _alone_ in the Universe. That out there, there are other alien creatures much more advanced than us that won't even look twice at us because to them, we're inferior. But he felt that with our rapid technological advances, we might soon become a threat for dominance over the Universe and well, that didn't sit well with him."

"So you're saying your friend is a nut job," Jace prompted.

"Not…quite." The hesitance in his own father's voice made Jace tense. For all the years Jace had known his father, he never knew the man to be any less sure of himself than any other self-righteous man. "He had a point. If you think about it, it's pretty naïve to think we're the _only_ life out there in the Universe, on a tiny lone planet, especially if you consider that we know more about the Universe than what lurks under the surface of our own oceans–and that's something you'd think we'd be able to control since it's on our own planet, no?"

"I guess," Jace shrugged. "But again, how does this have anything to do with me?"

"Patience is a virtue," his father lightly chided. "One day while I was over my friend's house, he suggested we try to open a Portal to try and communicate with aliens–mind you, I'm a man of logic and he was a man of charisma, so finding the right words to say to get me to do something was no task for him.

"One thing led to the next, and before I knew it, we somehow managed to summon up a creature inside of a pentagram. But it was no 'alien' as he had promised; no, it was a creature I never anticipated to see, never thought I'd ever see in this lifetime or the next had I never known my friend. It was a creature with papery skin like seaweed and two mouths full of serrated teeth like a chainsaw. I truly never knew fear until the moment I gazed into that creature's black empty eye sockets, nor had I ever seen my friend looked more delighted in his life."

"Are you sure he didn't drug you or something?" Jace's tone seemed light enough, but he was serious. _A creature they summoned through a Portal with skin like seaweed and two mouths with serrated teeth? _How crazy high did a person have to be to see something he'd expect to only see in one of those nerdy comic books that Simon read? But while Jace couldn't see his father's face, the earnest conviction in his father's voice was enough to convince Jace to give his father a chance to explain himself. And besides, Jace had a gut feeling that maybe his father wasn't lying after all; that maybe, just maybe, he was speaking the truth…

"That is only the beginning of your origin," his father sighed morosely. "I have much more to tell you, but–"

"But he cannot," another voice, this one as steely as it was unfamiliar. "Simply because if he breathed another word of your so-called 'origin', I just might have to kill him. No offense, Stephen."

Jace couldn't see anything since there was no light pouring through anywhere, but sucked in a breath when he felt someone breathing down his neck. Jace counted to three before trying to wrap his handcuffed wrists around the person behind him and snarled in pain when he felt something sharp jab into his hip.

"I wouldn't do that if _I_ were you," a voice–this one vaguely familiar–growled into his ear. "Or else a certain pretty little redhead just might have to deal with the repercussions later."

"Jonathan," Jace gasped, realizing who was behind him. Jace tried to spin around to face his brother and howled in pain when the dagger bit deeper into his skin, drawing blood. "How-how _could_ you?"

Jace heard something whistle through the air and closed his eyes instinctively since it was all he could do and felt his stomach clench when he heard someone cry out in pain. Then, very softly that his ears barely picked it up, he heard his father breathe two last words: _"Why, Valentine?"_

* * *

"I hate rain," Izzy complained, yanking out a few of Clary's hairs in the process as she ran a comb through it. "Why. Won't. It. Ever. _Stop?_"

"Okay, Izzy?" Clary interrupted. "I know I said I'll give you permission to fix my hair, but by that I didn't mean make me bald."

"Although that would be pretty awesome if you were," Simon added gleefully, rolling onto his stomach and cupping his face with both of his hands as he stared at the two girls sitting on the other bed next to him. "I could totally see you looking like a bad ass with no hair. You'd look like Stone Cold Steve Austin!"

"Or a cancer patient," Alec snorted from the spare foldaway bed mounted on the wall above the sofa. He was laying down with a knee tucked up that was acting like a stand as he lazily flipped through a magazine. "Either way, I don't think it'd be a very good look on Clary." Turning his head to the wall opposite him that was lined with mirrors, he smiled apologetically at Clary once he caught her eye. "No offense."

"None taken," she smiled back, even though it felt forced on her face. She'd only agree to letting Izzy pamper her because as of recent with Jace's personality one-eighty, Clary was starting to not only feel like a piece of dirt, but was starting to look like one too. The purplish bruises underneath her eyes were clueing everyone in on her lack of sleep–something she shook off as "struggling to adjust with all the time changes"–and her skin seemed to be getting paler instead of tanner, despite Izzy's best attempts at tying Clary to a lounge chair to gain some color.

"Don't worry," Izzy had said at the time Clary agreed to the whole makeover, "I'll make you look so hot, Jace won't be able to take his hands off of you!" Clary sure hoped so, because if not, well, Clary couldn't imagine going through another rejection, didn't _want _to go through another heartbreak again.

And despite how much it hurt to have her own hair yanked out, Clary loved the feeling of Izzy's slim fingers running through her damp hair, massaging her scalp while fixing her hair up. Closing her eyes for just a second, Clary felt her consciousness slowly slip away as she finally relaxed her entire body…

* * *

_Images like bursts of sparks flickered through her mind–one of two blond boys messing around in a green field; another of the same two boys much older still wrestling about only this time, they were wearing school uniforms; the last image of the two boys, one with a horrified look fixed on his face while the other beamed in delight. The last image horrified her, because standing before both boys was a creature so beyond her wildest imaginations, it stole her breath away._

_Suddenly, she felt her entire frame vibrate as she fell into the memory–her lungs, chest and appendages searing with pain similar to one she could only imagine enduring while being shoved into a confined space then suddenly being released, giving her body no time to adjust to any situation._

"_Valentine Morgenstern," the creature hissed through one of its mouths. Clary collapsed a few feet behind the boys but felt no pain as she landed on the ground. "What is it you demand of me?"_

"_Arakiel," one of the boys breathed, taking a step forward. Clary kept her eyes trained on him and immediately recognized that posture, the arrogance that rolled off of him in waves. "It has been quite some time since I have last seen you."_

_The creature–Arakiel–waved his hand dismissively. "A month to you humans is not even a bat of the eye for us immortals." _Immortals?_ Did he just seriously say that? Clary couldn't believe her ears; how could something so…hideous be immortal?_

"_Yes, I am aware of that," Valentine chuckled. "But I would just like to check up on Celine, please."_

_Clary watched as the creature's mouths curled into a malicious grin and fought to keep the bile from rising up her throat. "Ah, this is Herondale then?"_

"_Va-Valentine," the other boy–who, Clary realized, was no older than nineteen at most–stammered. "Wh-what is that? And why does it kn-know my name? And why does it know Celine? Valentine, what in the Angel's name is going on?"_

_The creature frowned. "Angel? You dare utter that word in front of me?"_

"_He didn't mean that," Valentine added hastily before turning his glare to the other boy. "Stephen, this is what I've been talking to you about. I've found a way to mix demon blood with human's blood for my plan!"_

_Stephen stared at Valentine for a second, confusion on his face until it dawned on him and his face became a mask of rage. "You…you _wouldn't._"_

_At this, Valentine said nothing, which only enraged Stephen even more. "By the Angel, you _promised_ you wouldn't bring her into this! Goddammit, Valentine, have a _soul_! She's pregnant and–" Just when Clary couldn't think his eyes could get any wider, they practically bulged out of his head. "Is this…is this the reason you brought her into this? Because of the child? Because of _my_ child?"_

"_Well it's not like I had any other choice!" Valentine laughed, but it wasn't a pleasant sound at all. In fact, it reminded Clary of the feral noise a lion emitted moments before it struck its prey. "I have no wife to provide me with a child and it doesn't work on adults. Believe me, if it did, I wouldn't have stooped so low to accept Celine's request."_

"_Her _request_?" Stephen seethed. Even though Clary was at a safe distance away, she shrunk back away from the red-faced man. "_Her request_? She requested for you to change her baby into some sort of…some sort of…"_

"_Demon?" the creature offered, looking beyond bored if it was capable of that._

_Stephen shot the creature a nasty look before snapping his attention back to Valentine. "I-I can't believe you. After all of this, you still go against my wishes and–"_

"_And what?" Valentine roared. "You know just as well as I do that any other person would've done the same! Any man would stoop as low to defend the very thing he's worked his entire life towards, even if it means sacrificing a life for an experiment. I sacrificed my entire life for this very moment and may God strike me down if I ever take a step back to consider 'the repercussions'. You can have another child, Stephen, but for me? I have nothing, absolutely _nothing_ going for me if I luck out. I've worked too damn hard to throw this all away for you and one day you'll thank me for this."_

_

* * *

_

"Clary?" Izzy shouted, panic rising in her throat as she held her friend's head in between her legs. "Clary, are you there? _Clary!_"

Izzy reached her hand back to slap her awake when she felt a jolt run through Clary's body and watched as her eyelids fluttered open a second later. "Oh thank God," Izzy gasped, pulling Clary up and hugging her tightly against her body. "I thought you passed out on me or something. Don't _ever_ do something like that ever again."

But Clary was barely registering what Izzy was saying; her mind was reeling with the echo of Valentine's words. What did he mean by "I have nothing, absolutely _nothing_ going for me if I luck out"? And besides that, what exactly _had_ she just witnessed? It certainly didn't feel like a dream and something gave her the idea that it wasn't just a typical nightmare…so, what _was_ it?

"Clary?" Simon asked hesitantly. "Um, are you okay?"

Shaking her head, Clary shot up from the bed and allowed her instincts to take over as the words blurted out of her mouth, "We have to find Jace. Right now. All of us."

* * *

**Cliffie! God, I hate reading them because I want to read more, but I sure as anything LOVE writing them!**

**Jace *to Clary*: Nice of you to decide to show up.**

**Clary: It's not my fault! How am I supposed to know what the heck happened to you? And besides, "you" were technically there, just not "you".**

**Jace: Wait, huh? How am I in two places at once and how do I suddenly have a twin? He better not be as good-looking as me or I might have to seriously hurt someone.**

**Simon: So, uh, I think I might know how this is all possible.**

***All eyes on Simon***

**Simon: I can't tell you, obviously. *Points at me* She won't let me!**

**Me: Good boy.**

**Jace: Meow.**

**Me: …**_**What?**_** This is getting too weird…please rate and review and such!**

**Clary: Meoooowwwrrrr.**

**Izzy: Quack!**

**Max: Mooooo….**

**Simon: Woof, woof!**

**Alec: Baaaaahhh…**

**Me: Ahhhh, Farmville is stalking me!**


	11. Call Me A Liar, Call Me Out, I Dare You

**Okay first off, I just have to get this off my chest: you guys are honestly the best readers any writer could ask for! Really, I was at my lowest point yesterday with my whole diva moment over reviews, and for those who really don't understand where I'm coming from, I'll provide you with an example: writing for me is a lot like breathing–something I don't do because I **_**like**_** to do it, rather, a necessity. So when I posted a lot of my stories up on this website and didn't get a lot of feedback…well, it was a lot like having a crush (I'm apologizing ahead of time for the crazy metaphors!). You really like a boy or girl, so you put yourself out there, exposing your true colors in hopes that that other person will see you for you and not just another person and maybe, just maybe, they'll accept you for who you are and seal those feelings with those three little words you **_**yearn**_** to hear. But then when you actually do expose yourself, all they do is simply stare and say "cool story line, UD soon" or something along the lines. Either way, you get the gist, no?**

**So I am sorry that I was acting a bit childish (or a lot, depending on how honest you want me to be right now haha), and because of my now WAAAAYYYY overfilled inbox, I am sure that my story is getting the credit I feel it deserves :) and not because I'm some review-crazy-hungry psycho! Thank you, all of you who were always there for me including:**

**-KisstheRain14 (your death threats always put a smile on my face)**

**-Thunderboltsandlightning (Honestly, my British triplet. She's also very fluent in sarcasm! The resemblance is uncanny.)**

**-arawable (For being so brutally honest with me and making me realize I needed to GROW UP! In a good way, not a bully way :)**

**-mangaka pixie (For your sweet encouraging messages that really motivated me to continue!)**

**-mosaicmaker and YellowInThisCaseIsNotSoMellow (For making me the 'Only Exception'-can you say Paramore reference?-and reviewing on my story! That was one of the many highlights of my day!)**

**-AddisonM (For "feeding me" with your review!)**

**And anyone else I may have forgotten to mention, but just so you all know, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS REALLY DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON ME SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T CUT ME OFF MY FOODTUBE!**

_Songs:_

_Already Over by Red (At this point, Jace is feeling beyond hopeless with Clary always on his mind and well, I feel this song describes his situation well.)_

_Salt Skin by Ellie Goulding (Besides the fact that I totally LOVE all her songs and the lyrics really speak out to me, this song perfectly fits the scene when Clary is looking for Jace: "I got the salt skin Running to where he is Never going to give in Even with the strength…")_

_

* * *

_

"I can't believe this," Jace barked, gritting his teeth against the sharp pain in his side as the dagger dug deeper. "What's going on? I demand to be answered!"

A flicker of light caught Jace's eyes and he watched, stunned, as the light grew and soon lent every corner it lit up a pale-bluish glow. _So this is where I've been for God-knows-how-long._ Jace took in the maze-like path up to the only apparent exit as well as the several pipes and committed it to memory.

Light footfalls brought Jace back into reality and as he snapped his attention back to the man now standing directly in front of him, he sucked in a deep breath to keep himself steady. This man–Valentine, he assumed–did look an awful like his father with the same blond hair and sharp features, except everything on Valentine was a lot more drastic; whereas Stephen's hair was a deep gold, Valentine's hair was light like a flickering candle and whereas Stephen had a strong bone structure, Valentine's cheekbones could possibly poke an eye out. Either way, this man had a terribly ominous presence that sent shivers down Jace's spine.

"Hello, Jace," Valentine said coolly, tilting his head to the side and narrowing his eyes in a way that convinced Jace that he was a true strategist. Holding up his hand–where the source of light was coming from–Jace now realized that instead of holding a flashlight of some sort, in Valentine's hand was a small, smooth stone. "Do you know what this is?"

Jace curled his lip in disgust and contemplated spitting on the man, but stopped himself only for his father's sake. Thinking about his dad, Jace felt anxiety tug at his heart. _Why was he so silent all of a sudden?_

"Stubborn"–Valentine took a step closer, sliding a finger from his free hand underneath Jace's chin and then tightly grasping his jaw to force Jace to look at him–"just like your father." Suddenly releasing him and tapping the side of Jace's face once, Valentine smiled. "But no worries, you all crack at one point or another. And after all, patience _is_ a virtue."

"Too bad I'm not feeling rather virtuous at the moment," Jace shot back, unable to help himself.

But if Jace was anticipating a response, he was surely disappointed when all Valentine did was raise an eyebrow. "Well then, I'm sure you have all the time in the world since you don't have a hot date to attend to."

Jace felt his heart clench up at the mention of Clary and sucked in a deep breath to steady his anger. _You better leave her out of this, _he so desperately wanted to say, but knew he shouldn't because only giving them want they want will give them more fuel for the fire that was currently burning down all his life. And on top of that, Jace wasn't sure if he was even a _human_ anymore. Closing his eyes, Jace could almost hear his entire past life flushing down the abyss drain.

* * *

"Clary, what in the Angel's name are you talking about?" Izzy sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes in the process. "He's probably in his room or something, why does it matter?"

Clary shook her head feverishly. "No–I mean, I think he's in some kind of trouble. I had a dream and…" She couldn't help her eyes from straying over to Simon and felt a burst of hope when she saw how engaged he appeared to be as he stared back.

Snapping her attention back to Izzy, she sighed. "Never mind, it's too long to explain now and if we don't hurry–"

But she was cut off when Izzy stood, clamping down a hand on each of Clary's shoulders and then proceeded to shake her. "Clary, _you're not making any sense_. Why do you think Jace is in trouble?"

Swallowing audibly, Clary forced herself to stare into her best friend's icy blue eyes and was genuinely shocked to see the sincerity in them. Mustering up all the energy she could, she spoke the very words she felt deep inside of her. "Because I just have a feeling."

* * *

A soft knock on the door alerted the Eidolon demons to resume their facades, and while the two younger ones had some difficulty rebuilding their shells, the eldest quickly summoned up his shell as Stephen and answered the door.

"Hi," a tiny redhead–_Clary_, he recalled–piped up, clearly the leader of the quartet. "Is Jace here per chance?"

But before the Eidolon could speak, the youngest of the trio stepped forward, this time wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. "Hey Clary," he answered, nodding to Stephen, signaling him to take his position. Since there were four here instead of just the girl, it would be much harder than either of the three anticipated to capture her. They had to be as stealthy as possible, which was quite a pain in the butt for all of them. But they would manage; they simply _had_ to.

"Jace," Clary said slowly, enunciating every letter in his name. Her hands were knotted behind her, a sign of anxiety. The eldest couldn't help but revel in her nerves; it was what made this entire mission all the more worth it. "I, uh…could we talk, um…alone?"

The youngest pondered this for a moment, but all of demons knew what he was doing. He was bidding his time, calculating how long it would take to overpower the others and just how much noise they'd make in order to figure out which way would be the easiest to take them all down. Then, every so subtly, the youngest raised his eyebrow.

And just like that, the eldest and middle Eidolon flanked the youngest, quickly and efficiently overtook the group just as they had planned.

* * *

The first thing Clary became aware of as she slowly regained consciousness was the horrible scent of stagnant water and copper that assaulted her nose. Frowning, Clary tried to turn her head to the side, only to cause an excruciating pain to shoot up from her neck and her head to throb. Groaning, Clary tried to open her eyes only to realize that they were already open; that–wherever she was–was so poorly lit, she couldn't even tell the difference between her eyes being opened or closed.

"Clary?" she heard a familiar voice call out–a voice that caused the long dormant butterflies in her stomach to flutter once again. "Clary, is that you? Are you awake?"

"Jace?" she called back, half-whispering.

"Oh thank the Angel," Jace panted, relief clear in his voice. "I thought they hurt you because you looked so…so _pale _and it scared me."

"Jace…where _are_ we?"

A pause–one that was long enough to cause the butterflies in her stomach to climb up her throat, making it harder to breathe. "Clary…I-I have something to tell you."

"Jace," Clary wheezed, barely able to suck in any oxygen into her lungs, "you're scaring me."

"I have no choice, Clary." Jace sounded so somber, so defeated that the fact that this conversation took place in the dark with her having absolutely no idea just how close he was to her was the only bright spot in this horrible situation. "I…I can't be with you any more."

Clary couldn't believe her ears; after all that she'd _been_ through for him? After all those sleepless nights where she'd woken up from dreams she'd have about him without even having a single idea as to who he was? She felt as if all the air in her lungs had been kicked out of her, a low blow that didn't only affect her physically, but emotionally as well.

"No," she said with such finality, it took her by surprise.

A pause. Then: _"No?"_ Jace's voice had risen out of incredulity, not out of anger, but despite the reason, Clary flinched. So he had really suspected she'd just go _that_ easily? Did he really have no faith in her at all?

"No, Jace," Clary snapped irritably. "I won't leave you, certainly not now and even afterwards. Nothing you can do or say right now can change my mind and until we have a better time to further discuss our relationship status, I say let's the get the _hell_ out of this place before we end up never seeing sunlight ever again."

More silence. Then, so softly her ears could barely pick up the sound, she heard him laughing. Clary smiled, despite the current circumstances, because she had least now knew that Jace knew she cared more about him than he had originally thought. And the fact that he didn't persist in his argument had to be a good sign, right?

"So," Clary prompted as soon as the laughter subsided, "what's the plan, chief?"

"Well, it seems that it's just you and me down here," Jace said slowly and against her best wishes, Clary felt her cheeks burn up at that. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure my dad's long dead by now."

Clary froze. "They killed y-your…"

"Yeah," Jace sighed. "And he was in the middle of telling me something really important too."

"Jace," Clary asked, suddenly hit with an idea. "Why did you want to break up with me?"

"I, uh…about that…I just didn't want to put you into anymore of a dangerous situation," he explained, sounding a little embarrassed. "That if Valentine and Jonathan and their demon buddies came back and saw how much I hated you or something like that, that they'd leave you alone and you'd be free to go. It's me they want, Clary. Not you. They're just using you as a means of extorting me to work for them."

But Clary wasn't paying attention–not really. She heard all of what he said, but something about the names he listed weren't quite right. She felt as if she were obligated to remember something very urgent when he heard him say his name…but the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got.

"Jonathan is evil, just for an update," Jace added, his voice bordering regret. "Apparently our sibling rivalry ran a little deeper than I thought. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed his buttons when I hooked up with his ex-girlfriend…"

"Jace?"

"Mm?"

"Stop talking about Jonathan, will you? Now, who was the other man you mentioned, besides Jonathan, that's behind all of this?"

"Oh, some prig named Valentine. Apparently, he was my father's best friend. Clearly, my father needed to be taught a lesson or two on how to choose better friends to associate with. A shame he's already dead before he got a second chance–no thanks to Jonathan, of course."

Valentine, Valentine…_Valentine._ Why, oh why, did her memory decide to fail her now? Especially at such a critical moment when she needed it the most? "Jace, are you sure that's his name? Valentine? Kind of reminds me of–"

"February fourteenth?" another voice, this one unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time, rang out. Clary narrowed her eyes and tried to find its source, but it seemed as if the voice itself belonged to no one in particular since it floated around the room like a ghost.

"A pity, isn't it, how misleading the name can be. When you think Valentine's Day, you think love, passion, cheesy little Hallmark cards with hearts all over them and expired chocolate in a tacky heart-shaped box. But when you think of the person…"

Clary heard nothing, but felt a sudden charge in the air and felt his hot breath hit her in the face as a way of confirming his sudden presence before her. "…Well, I assure you, this will be the first and last time you'll ever associate Valentine with sunshine and love again."

* * *

**By the Angel, I think that's the shortest chapter I ever posted! So...now that I'm back in full force, what do you guys think?**

**Simon: God, that guy is such a sick freak. And to be quite honest here, I never liked Valentine's Day anyway.**

**Clary: But that's because you never had a date before.**

**Jace: I'm not surprised in the slightest. But I have to agree with you, bloodsucker, on this one. I loathe the holiday.**

**Clary *frowning*: Why?**

**Jace: It's the day I get the most exercise since I have to run away for my own sake from the crazy fan girls. You don't understand; I love exercise and fighting just as much as the next guy–more, actually–but when I'm reduced to running for miles on end without any sign of stopping and I can't fight back, well, that sucks the fun out of the entire day.**

**Simon *frowning*: You are just rubbing this all in aren't you?**

**Clary: Just out of curiosity, where the heck are you, Alec and Izzy?**

**Simon: You know, I haven't the slightest idea, but I feel like we're going to find out pretty soon. Maybe next chapter?**

**Me: Maybe, if I feel like it. Muahaha.**

**Jace: Feisty, aren't you?**

**Me: I just know how to defend myself, okay? So don't mess with me. I'm basically a black belt in karate but I failed my test because I was underweight for my age class and it messed things up, etc…**

**Jace: Excuses.**

**Me: Shut up before I kill you.**

**Jace *smirking*: I'd love to see you try.**

**Me *smiling sweetly*: I could with my words. **_**"Killing me softly, with his song, telling my whole life, with his words…"**_

***Jace frowns***


	12. Seduction Leads To Destruction

**Another short update, my apologies. School has been really tough for me so I only get to write whenever I have free time, so here's a quickie and tell me what you think!**

**P.S. My previous update, I forgot to mention another incredible Fanfictioner named WyomingMustang97. She's pretty awesome :)**

_Songs:_

_Feel Like Making Love by Bad Company (For when Simon wakes up and discovers the, um, "predicament" he's in. Too frickin' good.)_

_Here In Your Arms by Hello Goodbye (After Izzy wakes up and things start to look up–the ironic title makes me laugh.)_

_Wrong by Depeche Mode (For Clary, and just the overall mood of the last scene.)_

**Quicknote: There's a little fluff in the beginning, so you have been warned. Things get a little...tied up ;)**

_

* * *

_

Simon awoke, his entire body aching with a dull pain and slowly lifted his head when he realized there was a deadweight attached to his front, only to inhale sharply when he registered the head full of black hair leaning against his shoulder. Simon swore against his stupid boy hormones when the situation became clearer: she was straddling him with a rope binding them together as tightly as possible.

"This has to be the worst day of my life," he grumbled, trying to shift his weight subtly so that if Izzy did wake up, she wouldn't have the same rude awakening as he did. "And the best, too."

But it didn't work; instead–with all the motion–Izzy leaned in closer, her arms bound behind his back and his behind hers so that her lips casually brushed against the sensitive skin underneath his jaw line.

"Oh _come on_," he groaned, glancing over to where an unconscious Alec was propped up against the chair, his wrists, waist and ankles all binding him to the chair with rope. Simon felt humiliated; here he was, finally in the situation he'd always wanted to be with the girl he liked straddling him along with the girl's brother in the same room and oh, they were also prisoners while his best friend was nowhere to be seen. _Fan tastic._

He heard–and _felt_–Izzy moan as she came to, which killed Simon on the inside. Even though it was an outburst of pain, just hearing that sound come out of Izzy's mouth drove him over the edge, and didn't alleviate the situation one bit.

"Uh, Simon?" Izzy stammered, looking him in the eye–which wasn't too hard considering her face was about an inch away from his. "Um…why are you holding–oh _shit_!"

Even though he wasn't much of a fan of the whole "rope" situation himself, hearing Izzy and feeling her attempt to break free hurt his feelings. As weird as it sounded, he hoped that a shred of her maybe _liked_ this simply because that meant they could be closer together, but he supposed it had to do with the fact that his body was about 99.9% testosterone.

"Simon?" Izzy's voice brought him back to reality. He looked up to see her face was pink with a sheen of sweat dotting her brow and Simon had to close his eyes to calm down his hormones. But she was just so _damn_ close to him–every inch of her body touching against his through a thin layer of clothing since she was only wearing a black high-waisted elastic skirt that cut off mid-thigh and a gossamer white tank top–and the proximity was killing him.

"Izzy?" He asked just to tease her, but his voice cracked and he felt his face flush immediately. It was definitely times like these that he knew that there was some relation between Clary and him; they both blushed at the drop of a hat.

"Simon," she said with a raised eyebrow. "You're ogling at me, you know that? And kind of drooling."

Instinctively, he tried to put a hand to his mouth to cover it and only ended up yanking Izzy closer. "Ah, hell," Simon swore, pulling back again. "Sorry about that…didn't mean to…" But when he saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes, Simon had a feeling he shouldn't be apologizing for pulling her in closer.

"We should probably try to get out of these restrains," Izzy said curtly, her tone business-like and professional. And even though he didn't seem to know Izzy as well as Clary did, he knew her well enough to know that something was bothering her.

"Izzy," he said soothingly. "Is there anything bothering you?"

Izzy, who had been desperately trying to focus her attention on anything _but_ Simon, paused mid-attempt to claw at the binding and regarded him with a wary expression. "What?" Her word cut him like a knife, and he knew his instinct had been right. And judging by the way she was directing his anger at him, he figured he was the reason.

"I'm frustrated, Simon," Izzy sighed. "Frustrated because of all of this whole thing with Clary and Jace and _everything and everyone!_"

Simon flinched. "And I'm guessing I'm a part of it too, right?"

She surprised him by giving him the slightest of smiles. "Not really. I'm just…confused."

"Why? I know how I feel about you."

She blushed, further surprising him in a pleasant way. "Really? That so?"

"Mhm," Simon smiled, completely unabashed. "I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world and every second I'm with you, I secretly pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming and reality isn't as cruel as people paint it out to be. But then again, I guess those very same people are laughing at me now."

"I guess so."

"I know so. They tie me to the girl I like and tie her brother in the same room. I mean, c'mon. Give me a break already!" Simon laughed a little and felt his heart soar when Izzy giggled, her chest rising and falling against his. He knew he was being cheesy, that girls normally laughed out of pity for him including his own sister, but Izzy seemed to dig his vibe and that made him feel totally awesome–no, _beyond _awesome. He felt on top of the world whenever Izzy smiled because of him.

"Well, if it helps, Alec seems to be out cold at the moment," Izzy suggested, leaning in closer until their noses were touching. Simon swallowed audibly, praying that the noise wasn't loud enough for the neighbors to hear and felt his mental restraints being stretched when Izzy gave him a coy smile and bit her lower lip.

"Which leaves you"–she whispered into his ear, trailing her way with her lips as she spoke against his skin–"and me"–she continued her way until her lips found his and she hovered there to finish her sentence: "alone."

Simon was beyond impatient and could barely reign in his own emotions, so after shooting Alec a quick glance and figuring he had some "spare time", he pulled his arms in and closed the hairsbreadth distance between them.

* * *

"I'm sure I won't confuse you and the date," Clary sneered, surprising herself with the power in her voice, "seeing as you seem incapable of experiencing anything remotely human."

A flash of pure white light exploded from out of nowhere and Clary gasped when she was temporarily blinded, but found herself unable to breathe when her eyes finally adjusted and settled on the man before her.

So _that's _why the man's name sounded so familiar…but _no,_ he couldn't be. It wasn't possible; he was supposed to be dead. Dead and gone underneath six feet of dirt, away from her and her family now, to never be able to harm her mother again.

And yet, _here he was_. Standing before her, in the flesh, was the man infamous for destroying lives as a sort of recreation, the man who could take a life without a care in the world, the man who stood in front of her in that chilling nightmare vision without her able to recognize him because she'd never seen his true colors until then.

This was her supposed biological father.

Jace had witnessed the entire scene play out the moment the witchlight illuminated the boiler room once more. He had seen Clary shy away from the light at first, confused as to how Valentine held such a powerful light and then he'd seen the look of recognition, shock and hurt in her eyes the moment they readjusted to the light. So she knew him and from the way she paled slightly, they didn't have the best history together.

This unnerved Jace in a way he didn't think possible; first the bastard had the audacity to kill his best friend, a.k.a _Jace's father_, without so much as a second glance and now he stood before the girl of his dreams, torturing her with a simple glance. Jace was beyond mourning his loss now–dwelling on something that couldn't be undone would render him weak, so he had to put on a poker face and focus on getting the hell out of the boiler room to avoid facing the same fate as his father. He would then have a proper funeral in his memory…that is, after he finds out the truth about his origin.

"It's so nice to finally see you," Valentine chuckled lightly. "I was starting to think I'd never see my daughter since Jocelyn always knew how to keep a secret. Did you know that about your mother? She's very good at keeping secrets and judging by the look on your face, I bet you never thought you'd see me alive, did you? You thought I was dead, didn't you? Like I said, if there's one thing Jocelyn is good at keeping, it's secrets."

Jace couldn't breathe; his throat had closed up and simply wasn't accepting anything the moment that cursed word left Valentine's lips. _Daughter?_ The man who killed his own father was the _father_ of the girl of his dreams? Life could not possibly get any worse…oh wait, they were still chained in the boiler room of a cruise ship in the middle of God-knows-where. Right.

When Clary didn't say anything–and Jace couldn't blame her–Valentine ventured a step closer and smiled. "You know," he said in the most charming way possible, "you don't look a thing like me. It's very disappointing, to see your own wife in your child with none of your genes in her–_Ow._"

Jace, who had his eyes glued to the two of them, felt his eyebrows disappear in his hairline when Clary had bitten one of Valentine's fingers when the creep tried to cup her face in a supposed endearing manner. He tried not to laugh and ended up howling in pain when he felt the dagger bite deeper, reminding him that Jonathan was still behind him.

"Bastard ass-kisser," Jace mumbled, earning himself another stab.

"At least I still _have_ a father," Jonathan snarled back.

Jace tensed. "What do you mean you still–?" Then it hit him: Jonathan must be Valentine's son. But…_how_? Did that mean he was Clary's brother? And if that's so, then was he related to Simon? He sure didn't look like Simon, or Luke for that matter. So how were they all connected then?

"And the village idiot finally gets it!" Jonathan roared with laughter.

"Jonathan," Valentine warned. "Silence."

Jace could feel Jonathan's temper wearing thin by the way the dagger–which was still in his side–slightly vibrated in place and felt the corner of his lip twitch. Jace knew Jonathan was always so short-tempered, but never had Jace or his father attempted to put him in his place before, not really. The only thing that Jace seemed to make Valentine tolerable–the _only_ thing at all–was the fact that he wasn't afraid to berate Jonathan.

"Now where was I?" Valentine straightened up so that he tapped his pointer finger from his free hand against his chin in mock musing. "Ah, that's right. I bet you didn't even know I existed until you found out about me purely by accident–Jocelyn wouldn't tell any of her secrets unless it was absolutely necessary. Let me guess: you went snooping around and found a picture of us together and she wasn't in the mood to lie to her own daughter, so she told you the truth?"

Judging from the silence, Jace figured that this was the truth. Clary kept her eyes fixed on the witchlight in Valentine's hand and didn't waver once, which was a hard task since the light was impossibly brighter than the sun.

She didn't like the way Valentine stared at her, as if he was slowly dissecting her layer by layer with his very eyes, like she was easier to read than an open book. And the fact that he _was _able to read her with ease made her extremely uncomfortable. She didn't even have to close her eyes to remember the exact moment only a few years ago, when she and Simon were only nine.

* * *

_She had always wondered why Simon and she never looked the same, but figured that it was because he looked like Luke and she looked like her mother, exact copies through and through except that Simon had black hair and brown eyes instead of brown hair and blue eyes. Never once did she ever think that they weren't actually related; though they looked nothing alike, they were alike in every other way possible._

_While her parents were out somewhere, she decided it would be a good time to do some investigating purely for entertainment sake. Simon agreed quickly; Clary was the natural born leader always and hey, there was nothing else better to do._

_After some quick snooping, they hadn't found much–a diary that Jocelyn kept that mainly consisted of quick sketches that she kept in the nightstand on her side of the bed; a picture of Jocelyn and Luke kissing in Times Square with him dipping her, pulling one of her legs up by the thigh, which made Clary promise herself to have a boyfriend who'd do something so romantic to her like her father; and lastly, a small hand-carved wooden box with a lock and no key attached._

_Working quickly, Simon managed to pick the lock for Clary's sake and was about to peek at the box's contents when Clary snatched it from him and got a chance to look at it first. But she only had to glance for a second before dropping the box, all the air in her lungs suddenly gone. She didn't even bother to see Simon's reaction because she heard him swear, then mumble something along the lines of, "mom and dad are coming home soon" before dragging her back to their room once they put the box back, unlocked._

_Of course Jocelyn had been thoroughly upset at this discovery, but not nearly as much as Clary was. After all, hearing for the first time that the man you grew to know and love as your father wasn't your actual father wasn't exactly the easiest of experiences, but at least it didn't minus the fact that he was still around to be a father-like figure._

_That was the time she found out that her real biological father was dead before Clary was born and that when she was, a year after her birth, Jocelyn met Luke, who also happened to have had a year old kid and a deceased wife. And well, misery did fancy having company over._

_

* * *

_

The rest was history from there, but now the darkest part of her history had come up and was currently scrutinizing her. Clary felt hopeless, discouraged, betrayed and above all, anguish. How could her mother _lie_ to her like that? After that little "incident", Jocelyn swore to never lie again and Clary figured her loophole was that "old secrets" didn't apply to the rule, which only further infuriated Clary. _How could she do such a thing and think she could evade something like this? So long as your past was alive, it could very well be out to get you._

"Are you happy now?" Clary spat back, finally finding her voice. "You have me, you have Jace, what else could you possibly want?"

Valentine pursed his lips in mock contemplation before flashing a charming smile. "Truth be told, I've never been a fan of surprises–when it came to surprising me, that is. I find other people's attempts to try and secretly attack me when I least expect it to hold little amusement for me. But being the instigator, well, that makes me reconsider my views on surprises, don't you agree?"

When Valentine dove into his white jacket's pocket and retrieved a syringe full of a silver liquid, Clary's eyes bulge out of her head and vaguely registered Jace's scream that sounded as if it were coming from a mile away.

"So let's keep this all a surprise," Valentine whispered, lashing his hand out and tightly grabbing her upper right bicep, "just for the thrill of it all, only for your benefit. Okay?"

But before Clary could respond, he stuck the needle into her arm–a pricking sensation shooting up her arm the moment the needle bit her skin–and quickly released the cool, slimy liquid into her arm. The last thing she saw was Valentine's face tighten as she let out a bloodcurdling scream, her body suddenly a thousand pounds heavier to the point where she couldn't support it anymore, collapsing into a heap a second after the injection.

* * *

**Talk about cliffies, eh? Haha, I've been ending each chapter on such cliffies nowadays, I myself can't wait for the next update. Don't you agree?**

**Clary: I just want to know what the hell that creep has in store for us, to be honest with you.**

**Jace: I could kill him for touching you.**

**Simon: Me too!**

**Jace: Aren't you supposed to be attending to something else at the moment, bloodsucker?**

**Izzy: Mmm, he could suck my blood all-day long.**

***Clary openly stares at Simon while he looks down at his feet***

**Jace: Hmm, interesting. I never pegged you for the S&M fetish type, Izzy. But I guess to each her own. I just wish Simon luck with that. No offense, but he seems to give me the squeamish vibe. No offense.**

**Clary: How is that not offensive?**

**Simon: Yeah, adding "no offensive" doesn't negate the offensive statement you say.**

**Jace: Okay then. All offense, take every ounce of offensive you could possibly suck out of that comment and don't complain about it.**

**Simon *fuming*: Clary, **_**honestly**_**, what do you see in this guy?**

**Jace *in mock hurt*: Oh dear me, what **_**does**_** she see indeed? Well, let's make a list then: first, there's my overall staggeringly good looks, then my–**

**Clary *mortified*: JACE! Stop it!**

**Me: Ugh...I missed you guys. And that killed me to admit. Really.**

**Izzy: Well don't die now! Live for the reader's sake!**

**Jace: And mine too!**

**Me: Fine, for the readers. You see what I put up with for you guys?**


	13. Tell Me There's Some Hope For Me

**You should all thank ThunderBoltsAndLightning and KissTheRain14 for keeping me inspired to continue this story, because without them, I wouldn't have considered updating! So, thank them and while you're at it, read their stories :) They are story-telling BEASTS. I hope you all like this and show your love by reviewing so I know I'm not just writing for my own sanity's sake.**

_Songs:_

_Better Than Drugs by Skillet (Clary is better than drugs for Jace…too bad a much stronger drug got to her faster.)_

_Perfect Situation by Weezer (I did some song investigating last night and figured this was Simon's anthem. If you're a Simon fan or just a fan of Weezer, you HAVE to listen to this song if you haven't already!)_

_Beautiful Monster by Ne-Yo (Jace learning about his "past")_

_

* * *

_

_Lava._

That's what Clary felt was coursing through her veins–a thick, goo-like substance that burned every inch of her as her body desperately tried to rid itself of poison. Clary was vaguely aware of the blood-curdling screams as her fingers scrubbed the floor for anything to use to take the poison out of her veins. But when she came up empty-handed, she settled on using her fingers to claw at her own skin, to peel it off and let the poison leak out of her system.

"Cuff her," a voice sneered–Clary couldn't focus on anything except getting the poison _out_, so she didn't bother to identify the voice. "It was a mistake to un-cuff her. Don't make that mistake again."

"Yes sir," another voice, this one higher, promised. Clary's eyes were unable to open on their own accord since it required muscle movement and she didn't want to waste an ounce of energy if it wasn't being used to rid her body of poison.

Clary was about to break the skin on her neck with her ferocious scratching when she felt arms wrap around each of her wrists and pin them on her back. She roared in protest–a guttural sound–and fought with a ferocity that took her attacker off guard for a split second. Lashing out with her legs, she felt her foot connect with something soft and smiled devilishly when the restraints loosened slightly–enough for her to escape.

"F-Father!" the second voice yelled.

But she barely registered the call as she dropped to her hands and knees, searching for something to use to cut herself with. _The poison, get it out, GET IT OUT._ When her fingers found a blade, Clary picked it up by the hilt and slid it across her left forearm, opening up a frighteningly jagged gash. The gash, however, was of no concern to her: not when the feeling of the poison blood oozing out of her system was almost _euphoric_.

Her body sang the more the blood flowed out, taking her higher the more her body expelled it. She felt her eyelids flutter slightly and looking down once more at her arm, Clary's eyes widened when they saw just how much black blood was on the floor around her. With that image forever burned into her mind, she felt her eyelids close like heavy curtains and barely registered the burning sensation as she fell inside the blackness.

* * *

"_CLARY!"_ Jace screamed, his throat raw with the emotions he couldn't restrain. Seeing her collapse the first time after receiving the silver poison–_demon blood_, he recalled at the very last second–was the final blow below the belt. He already lost his father, the man who–in his own way–loved Jace to death, and now he was losing the love of his life before he even got to tell her that. The first death left him hollow, like a jack-o'-lantern and this one dimmed his only flickering flame of life.

But when she surprised them all by suddenly twitching to life–only to scamper around to find something to use to kill herself–Jace made the mistake in gaining hope that she would pull through from the horror of having some foreign substance being injected into her body. Because only a few seconds later, she took her life again–this time, forever gone.

"Clary," he sobbed, dropping his head, unable to look at the lifeless body only a few feet in front of him. He couldn't blame her for doing what she had done; he reacted in a similar way, which made him all the more familiar with the dull burning sensation as the demon blood flowed through his veins. But whereas he was handcuffed so he couldn't attempt to rid himself of the poison, Clary wasn't. Because when they injected it into his body, they did it for experimental reasons whereas they injected it into Clary to kill her so there would be no witnesses. Besides, they already _had_ what they wanted.

Thinking of this and how Izzy, Alec and Simon were all targets now made his already clenched stomach tighten. _He _was the reason they were all in danger now, because he decided to befriend them all. If only he had listened to Jonathan's warnings to never befriend anyone since they couldn't be trusted, if only he realized Jonathan was–in some way–warning him to make things easier for himself, things wouldn't have gotten so out of control so fast.

He should've just kept to himself, or at the very least, hooked up with very few girls who acted as if they really cared instead of girls who actually _did_ care–namely, Clary. Jace wanted to puke, so badly, because he was sickened at himself for being so selfish but couldn't bring himself to since he hadn't eaten in days. Not that it mattered anyway; wherever Valentine was taking him, he was sure there wouldn't be any luxuries there for him.

But then again, his father's words rang out: _you are an experiment._ Sure, Jace hadn't really done many experiments outside of school, but he had enough knowledge to know that in order to have a successful one, you needed to have your subjects alive and well–or in whatever sense of the word 'well' may be according to the experiment.

So maybe they weren't going to kill him–regardless of how much he wanted them to at that point–but starving him couldn't be good for the experiment, could it? Maybe they would feed him wherever he was going, and as if it already believed this was the case, his stomach growled with such determination, Jace winced.

How could he be so selfish at this point, only thinking about food when he should be focused on other things, like how to escape? Also finding out what Valentine's incentive was couldn't hurt.

Focusing on the latter, Jace closed his eyes and willed himself to think, to see a pattern if there was any, to Valentine's thinking. _My life clearly means something to the raving lunatic, but what? And what was my father so against it? What had the psycho done to me at birth, and did it have anything to do with demon blood?_

He felt something click at the back of his mind at the last two words and with newfound determination, he focused on them. _Demon blood, demon blood…but _what_?_ He growled in frustration and was rewarded by a kick to the back of his already aching knees–he had been standing up for days now on a thin metal pole.

Jace roared in pain and barely heard Jonathan's laughter over his scream. "Shut up, you bastard," Jonathan snarled, shoving Jace backwards so that his skin touched the vertical searing hot pole he was handcuffed to. "Scream any louder and your girlfriend might hear you from Hell."

_Clary_. Instead of thinking of something snide to say to Jonathan, Jace had a strong feeling that she had something to do with the demon blood…but _what?_ Thinking back to her reaction to it was painful, but he felt a strong pull leading him to the right answer, as if he was playing a perverse version Hot and Cold and he was getting warmer to the correct answer.

_Maybe it has something to do with how she reacted…and how I reacted?_ He remembered it burning at first, like fire in his veins, but it dulled out quickly and certainly didn't drive him to the point of insanity like it did to Clary. But what did that mean? Maybe it was because he was more fit, physically speaking, the way he could probably handle alcohol better than Clary because of her size. But that felt…wrong. No, it couldn't be that. But what was it then?

* * *

Alec rose to consciousness the way a diver rose to the surface after spending hours submerged underwater. Everything was dull at first, but the moment he broke the surface, every sense was hitting him with full force–hearing being the first sense. Lastly, he finally gained control over his eyes and had to blink a few times before his vision stopped swimming before him and he was able to see…

Izzy and Simon, tied up to each other in an awkward position, both panting and staring at each other with lust in their eyes. The image itself was enough to make Alec squirm uncomfortably, but the look in their eyes was enough evidence to lead Alec onto an even more uncomfortable conclusion.

But when he shifted in his chair, it squeaked, giving his consciousness away and causing both Simon and Izzy to look at him. And the moment they did, both wore identical masks of complete mortification.

Izzy was the first to speak moments later. "How long have you been…?"

"I just woke up," Alec answered and shuddered when Izzy and Simon sighed in relief. "But how long have we been tied up like this?" Translation: _how long have you been going at it with Simon with me in the same room?_

"I woke up first," Simon piped up. "About an hour or so ago. And I figure we've been here for a while before that because when we first got into this room, it was around maybe two and now it's dark out, from what little light is coming through the curtains."

"And you've both been…?"

Simon flushed. "Yeah, we were always tied up like this. Not my doing at all."

_Okay, so he got his wish granted unto him, _Alec reasoned. "We should call someone, anyone, to help us. Have either of you tried screaming?"

Izzy, of the two, blushed the most. "Uh…you could say that. But no one heard us so we think this room is sound-proofed."

Alec felt his face turn an ugly shade of red and was confirmed of this fact by the mirror on the opposite wall of him that was a few inches above Izzy and Simon's head. "Oh. Well, do either of you have a cellphone or something still on you? I think mine's gone since my pocket is light now."

Izzy stared at Alec for a second, her eyes bulging out of her head as if she didn't realize this sooner and then turned her gaze towards Simon. "You need to get it out for me."

"Uh," Simon said slowly. "And how am I supposed to do that? Where is it anyway? Is it even possible?"

Izzy–not caring at this point–rolled her eyes before settling her gaze at her chest and puffed it out so that it was right under Simon's nose. "It's right here. Think you can get it out for me?"

"God, I wish I was still knocked out right now," Alec mumbled as Simon openly gaped at Izzy before flickering his gaze at Alec and back on Izzy.

* * *

"Emotions render a person weak," Valentine spoke softly, picking up the dagger Clary had used to take her own life. Upon closer inspection, he saw a sliver of skin on it and he grimaced as he wrapped the dagger with a thick cloth before shoving it into his coat pocket. "They are much stronger than a person could imagine–they can cloud your judgment in a second, make you want to do irrational things–and half the time, you follow through with them, which only further ruins things. Each and every human is susceptible to their emotions and _always_ gives into them, never once revolting."

"And you're included with us?" Jace scoffed, spitting at Valentine's shoes a few inches away from him. "I doubt that. Nothing human can disregard emotions because that's what makes us human. The ability to _feel _these so-called 'debilitations', otherwise we'd all be killing machines, not caring about each other or ourselves."

"Quite the contrary," Valentine mused. "Without these debilitations, we'd be able to further our civilization and achieve our great potential we were meant to achieve a long time ago."

"And you're willing to _kill_ anything and everything that stands in your way for that? Even if it's a defenseless child, woman or man?"

"If it stands in the way, then yes."

At this point, Jace wasn't surprised. Valentine didn't seem to give off the sympathetic vibe from the start, so why should it even matter at this point? There was just no way to get him off the Machiavelli "the end justifies the means" mindset. Jace just hoped the man got whatever he wanted and would be satisfied with that, then let him go to live a normal life. But even to himself, this wasn't a very convincing case.

"So are you just going to kill everyone on this ship, then?" Jace asked after a while. "Because if you kill Izzy, Alec and Simon, their families will notice. And if they notice, then they become targets themselves. And if they "suddenly disappear", well, that's enough to even get the captain's attention. And what do you have planned from there?"

Valentine shrugged. "It doesn't matter what happens to them. I will eventually take over this ship and steer it to the destination in mind, and what happens from there is of no importance to me. We just have to get to London on the day this 'cruise' is over with."

_So we're going to London then._ With this in mind, Jace came up with a new battle plan–one that he hoped wouldn't fail him. Or else his father's, Clary's, Izzy's, Alec's and Simon's sacrifice would be rendered useless. With a smile, Jace knew he was still in the game and with this last resort mission, he was hell-bent on making out of this ordeal alive along with the rest of the crew on this ship.

* * *

Brady walked down the hallway doing his usual check-up routine to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary with Tiffany on his mind the entire time. He knew he should be more professional when it came to doing the check-ups because last time he messed up, a little girl almost walked into the boiler room thinking it was her cabin room. How she even managed to get the key for the boiler room was beyond him, but that incident was enough to motivate him to never overlook small things ever again.

But Tiff's body was _slamming _hot! And even though he wasn't usually one for girls in uniform, she totally pulled it off. With a smile, he took out his key chain, looked for the boiler room key and was about to open the door when he saw one of the other workers, Leo, run up to him, a wild look on his sweaty face.

"Hey man," Leo panted, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. "I got it from here, no worries."

"Dude," Brady laughed. "You look like you just saw a ghost. And it's fine, I already got this."

Brady used to be suspicious around Leo because the dude, truthfully, was the weirdest guys Brady had ever seen–which is saying a lot for him. At first, Brady used to hate Leo's guts because he would do _anything_ to get a lot of jobs and Brady thought it was because he was trying to show the boss that he was the hardest worker for a raise on his paycheck. But then Tiff told him that the guy suffered from some kind of anxiety thing, which would explain why he was always so twitchy and constantly looked over his shoulder like he expected something to jump out and attack him.

Brady felt for the guy; none of the other workers liked him because he was still considered weird since he was a new guy, but he didn't let anyone else see that he felt for the guy or else they'd think _he_ was the weird one. _Poor kid, always working to avoid actually talking to the other workers._

"Let me do it," Leo insisted, taking a step closer with his eyes wide and fixated on the keys in Brady's hands. "From what I hear, you have a hot date tonight. You'll need some time to get ready, and I got plenty of free time. Let me do it, please?"

Brady shrugged. "I guess you got a point there. Thanks man!" With that, Brady handed over his keys and began to walk away, only to stop mid-step and turning around. "Oh, and I'll need those keys back tomorrow to do my rounds, okay?"

"Sure, sure," Leo said, not taking his eyes off of the doorknob as he fumbled with the keys. Brady shook his head and walked away, wondering what was the guy's case. But had he stayed a little longer and had his head out of the clouds, he would've noticed how this Leo had pink eyes instead of the usual green, how he was an inch shorter than the last time he'd seen him and that his hair was a few shades lighter than normal. These small differences would've led Brady to believe that someone was impersonating Leo, which would've gotten him to notice how every week Leo's eyes seemed to be a different color. And if he were smart enough, he would've pieced it together to come to the conclusion that a new Leo took the previous Leo's place every week. But of course, neither of these things were the case.

* * *

Jace was pulled out of his thoughts the moment he heard footsteps and saw an unfamiliar head full of blond curls similar to his bob into view–the entire boiler room was now lit up by a single witchlight in the center of the room.

"Master?" the boy–he appeared to be around Jace's age–whispered, peering around the pipes for his so-called master.

"I'm here, Odriole," Valentine called back, suddenly appearing before the boy. "You're late. You do realize what this could've mean, don't you?"

"I apologize, Master," the boy spoke quickly. "I was forced into doing actual chores when a toilet in 4-323 got clogged and since I do not know how to–"

"Enough of your excuses, you pathetic demon," Valentine deadpanned. "You were sent out to complete a task and you just barely got by doing it, risking this entire mission not to mention your _life_. Fortunately for me, you somehow managed to still accomplish the former of the two. Unfortunately for you, you did not accomplish the latter." And with that, Valentine shot out his left hand. The demon collapsed instantly, a throwing dagger protruding from his chest and Jace had to replay the last five seconds in his mind to understand that Valentine had hidden a dagger in his sleeve and threw it. His speed and accuracy was enough to spook Jace and make him question if he could still pull off his plan or not.

_But he had to_, he reminded himself. _If not for him, for everyone else who suffered at the hand of Valentine. Including Odriole, and whomever he used at his expense._

"Why did you do that?" Jace asked quietly, his head hanging low. "Why did you have to do that to him?" With every word, he felt the rage building up inside of him. "Why did you have to waste yet another life? At _what cost?_"

"He wasn't a boy," Valentine said, surprising Jace by speaking softly. "He was a demon. One of the many who roam this very Earth unbeknownst to ordinary humans who aren't gifted with the Sight."

"_What the_ _hell are you talking about?"_

"I'm talking about demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and faeries–those who plague this Earth like they own it; vermin, scoundrels, beasts that don't deserve to life but do so anyway. _Their _existence is the reason for _your_ existence specifically."

"How am I related to something that sounds like it was pulled out of a comic book's ass?" Jace growled, quickly losing his patience–that is to say if he had any patience left.

"Because you are the opportunity I've been waiting to stumble upon," Valentine said gleefully. "Through all my years of extensive research, I've never actually had anyone to experiment on that was _alive_. I've tried it on myself, believe me, but the demon blood wouldn't stick. So clearly it didn't work for adults.

"With that in mind, I quickly realized I needed to try my secret formula to success on younger specimens. So I managed to find young dead children to use and the results were startling…if only they were _alive_." Jace gagged once the meaning of Valentine's carefully crafted words hit him: the monster before him paid the cemetery a "visit" on several occasions for his perverse scientific research.

"Frustrated beyond belief that I had no real specimen to experiment on, you can only imagine my delight when I heard that my only best friend, the only man I could trust with my life, was going to be a father. Finally, a specimen I had access to! It was as if God himself decided to give me a break!

"So throughout the duration of the pregnancy, I gave Celine–your mother–the formulas I had come up with and documented every single thing that had happened. And in case you are curious as to why she is no longer with us, the demon blood does wonders to young life, but as I said before, it isn't good for adults, especially by consumption. She died the second you were born."

"You're the reason why…why…" Jace was at a loss of words. So _he _was the reason he grew up motherless? All those years of wondering why everyone else had two parents while he had one, not even getting the chance to even know her better…all because of a sick, sad _monster_.

"Yes, unfortunately," Valentine said coolly. "But I didn't dwell on that too much seeing as you survived, which was very important to me. Of course, your father didn't appreciate my involvement and went into hiding. And while you were away, I managed to find my second specimen–an orphan with no place to go."

_Jonathan_, Jace realized. _Of course Stephen wouldn't deny accepting such a helpless child because underneath all that tough exterior, he was a softie, especially after the death of his wife. And he wouldn't mention the fact that they weren't related because he wanted to give Jonathan a second chance in life by starting over._

"Given the fact that he was only a year old, he was just as quick to adapt to the blood as you were," Valentine went on happily, as if he were revisiting happy memories–and who knows, maybe they _were_ happy memories for the pervert. "I raised him as my own before I decided to use him as a way of getting to you. So from the moment Stephen took him in, Jonathan wrote me updates every night on his observations like I taught him to. And that's how I knew where you were at all times, and how you were doing."

_So regardless of my father's efforts, you always knew where I was._ Jace felt regret that Stephen wasn't alive to find this out himself and had to focus on the here and now to prevent himself from falling victim to his sadness.

"So you have me now"–Jace was surprised by how unimpressed he managed to make himself sound–"why are we going to London?"

"Ah, ah, ah," Valentine chided, holding up a finger to silence Jace. "That's enough for now. Don't make me do something I'll regret later."

_Like that's even possible at this point,_ Jace sighed.

* * *

**Clary: Well…this explains an awful lot.**

**Simon: Makes for an awkward meet-the-family. **

**Jace: Indeed.**

**Clary: This is horrible! I can't even begin to-GAH!**

**Jace: Gah?**

**Simon: That's the sound she makes when her mind has been blown and words fail to sum up her feelings.**

**Jace: Ah. Gah, indeed.**

**Me: This was such an intense chapter, I almost died writing it.**

**Jace: Well don't die now! I want to know if I get a hero's kiss after saving everyone!**

**Simon: And who are you to say that you save everyone?**

**Simon *after receiving a dubious look from Jace*: Fine, okay I'll take that back because I want to live.**

**Jace *whispering to Clary*: So he can live to lose his virginity.**

***Izzy punches Jace***

**Clary, Simon, Alec and Me: THANK YOU FOR THAT!**


	14. My Head And My Heart Are Colliding

**I figured I had you guys in enough suspense as it is, so here you go! Sorry for the long time without an update :( Schoolwork is getting harder and harder, grr. But I hope this satisfies you all! Just a quick warning: this update hops around A LOT. So get ready for a lot of sporadicalness! **

_Songs:_

_I'm making this Inception-based because to be honest, Hans Zimmer is a GENIUS. This is in scene change order, mind you._

_Half-Remembered Dream by Hans Zimmer (When the scene is in Jace's POV)_

_Time by Hans Zimmer (This song perfectly fits Simon as soon as they um, 'burst in' and he finds Clary…yeah…must I say more?)_

_Dream is Collapsing by Hans Zimmer_

_Slow Me Down by Emmy Rossum (When a certain you-know-who wakes up…just read on!)_

* * *

Alec had his head down low to avoid seeing any more than he wanted to see and was on the verge of losing whatever shred of patience he had left in him when the door suddenly flew open–literally, _flying off of its hinges._

"_ALEC!"_ a baritone voice bellowed. "Where in the Angel's name are you?"

"In here!" Alec called out, beyond relieved. Seeing his boyfriend with his inky black hair on the fritz with a cloud of glitter surrounding him made Alec's heart soar. _I never thought I'd see you again…and I almost died just thinking about that._

"Oh thank the Angel," Magnus sighed dramatically, walking over to Alec and kissing him on the lips. "I swore I thought I'd never _see_ you again–and that's not the half of it. I thought I'd never–"

"Hey, uh, do you mind?" Izzy shouted, causing Magnus to jump ten feet in the air.

Magnus turned around to face her, his cat eyes narrowed into slits. "And who the hell are you?"

"Your apparent boyfriend's sister," Izzy spat back. "And I'd be beyond furious at you right now if it weren't for the fact that you're going to save us." Izzy turned her gaze to a mortified Alec and raised an eyebrow. "How did he know where we were? I didn't even get my cellphone out."

It was true; Simon was too humiliated to even attempt taking the phone out with his mouth since his hands were a bit tied up at the moment.

"I texted him before telling him where I was going," Alec shrugged, struggling to act nonchalant with his not-so-secretive boyfriend and sister in the same room. "And now I don't regret it." Turning his gaze back to Magnus, he asked, "How did you manage to break down that door?"

"Dearest Alec"–Magnus took a step closer and Alec stared incredulously as the air around Magnus' fingers swirled blue–"there are certain things about myself I rarely reveal to anyone. This would be one of them." And as if they were made from powder, the ropes binding Alec and his sister to Simon fell apart in a pile of powder.

Alec gaped at his boyfriend, too stunned beyond belief.

"I'll explain later," Magnus said in earnest. "But I do believe there is someone in need of some rescuing?"

* * *

Jace's feet slipped out from underneath him yet again, causing him to stir from his sleep when the manacles around his ankles and wrists held him from collapsing to the ground. He hadn't slept, showered, eaten in days and instead spent the time sweating or bleeding as he contemplated death. Death would be so easy; no more pain, no more emotions, no more worrying about dying or not. If only it was easy to achieve.

"…But Master, it'd be so much easier if we just took over now…"

Jace's ears perked up at that. Since he had no other way of knowing what time it was, he went by whenever Valentine talked to his minions–which, he figured, was around nighttime settling into early morning since they weren't needed on deck to feign actual workers. Jace didn't know why Valentine was so open to talking about his plans in front of him and figured the psycho was either careless or simply didn't care at this point since it was clear Jace couldn't run away. Jace figured it was the latter.

"…Too soon and I don't want to risk things getting out of hand…"

"…We're already ready, sir, and it's going to save us time…"

"…Dare you defy me!"

The whistling sound of air being sliced through was Jace's only clue to the minion's demise–that, and the sickening _splat_ as it landed on the ground. Surviving what had to be possibly the third day on the cruise, Jace was already immune to Valentine's malicious ways. He didn't even flinch when he heard the body crumple to the floor–not the way he had the first few times he heard the others.

"Father?"

"What, Jonathan?"

"Garial is right. Striking now is the perfect time. Waiting until tomorrow night is too long, and surely the other families have noticed their children are gone. It's still early now, even for the working humans, and we should take advantage of the nightfall while it shields us still."

Jace sucked in a breath in anticipation as Valentine considered this. Squeezing his eyes shut, Jace prayed that Valentine would follow his son's advice so that he could finally put his plan into action.

But he would never get to hear his response, because the moment Valentine opened his mouth to voice his opinion, the boiler room was suddenly glowing with such intensity, Jace roared as he closed his eyes shut–but even so, the pure whiteness made it behind his eyelids. Then came the thunderous _boom_ as the triple metal boiler room door was flung off its hinges and crashed into the far side of the room, knocking off several pipes in its flight path and causing Jace's ear drums to explode as a high-pitched whistling sound reached them.

Upon forcing his eyes open, Jace watched as four figures appeared at the doorway, the bright blue light lighting their silhouettes from behind. The last thing Jace noticed before allowing himself to finally succumb to relief was the glare of the light shooting back at him from a pair of glasses nestled crookedly on the scrawniest of the four figures, magnifying black beady eyes that stared at him incredulously.

* * *

Simon had a dream; it was of nine-year-old Simon in a red cape with the wind whipping past his face as he flew into action to save the pretty girl next door's cat from a tree with the Thundercats theme song in the background. Sure, the dream was a little outdated–hell, the song choice at the time was just _awful_–but at the time, he wanted nothing more than to be a hero in someone's eyes.

Never in a million years would he actually believe that someday, this dream would come true–only for it to be thrown back into his face. Standing in the threshold where a triple-layered metal door once stood beside his girlfriend, her brother and her brother's once-mythical warlock didn't really help the case, either.

Blinking around to adjust his eyes, Simon took in the creepy pipes, the steam that quickly fogged his glasses and felt his body slip into 'FLIGHT' mode. But when Izzy grabbed his hand, already sensitive to his emotions, Simon felt grounded and more determined than ever. If whatever Magnus told them was true, then this sicko was the reason for Clary's disappearance and Simon wanted to be there to make sure he could watch the man's demise at Magnus' hands.

"_Jace!"_ Izzy shrieked, dragging Simon with her to where the blond boy was chained up against an upside down 'T' made out of pipes, his hands handcuffed around the pipe and his ankles shackled to the bottom pipe.

But before they could make it over to the boy, Simon slipped on something wet and fell backwards, landing with a sharp burst of pain on his back. Groaning, Simon propped himself up on his elbow and glanced around, only to experience a pain that made the experience of getting kicked below the belt feel like a pinch.

"C-C-" was all he managed to get out before a sob tightly constricted his windpipe, rendering speaking impossible. There she lay, pale as ever, her eyes glazed over and wide with fear, in a pool of her own blood. Only because he had to, Simon forced himself to glance down at the source and had to close his eyes a second later, because the sight of it was enough to make him want to puke.

"Si–" he heard someone rasp behind him. But he couldn't force himself to remove his gaze from his sister's face. She was so beautiful, the way he always remembered her to be; a flood of memories poured into his mind, one after the other, taunting him the longer he stared at her. _There would be no more memories after this…_

"Simon," Jace forced himself to say. "She did this to herself. She did it to _live_."

With tentative fingers, Simon reached out and moved a hair from her face, tucking it gently behind her eerily cool ear before removing his hand away. "But…_why?_" he whispered. "Why would she ever…?"

"Because of this guy," Magnus interrupted, cutting off Jace. All heads snapped up to where Magnus stood in the center of the room, both of his hands holding back the man Jace had used to represent all things evil in the known universe. Valentine put up no battle as the warlock moved towards the group, instead, he smiled as they moved out of his way. "Isn't that right?"

"He's not going to speak," Jace spat, staring Valentine in the eye. But no matter how much rage he put into his stare, Valentine only stared back with a look a notch above pure boredom. "He knows better than to give voice the sick thoughts in his mind."

This caused a spark of amusement to light up behind the man's eyes. "Very good, boy. Seems you've learned an awful lot these past three days, haven't you? Too bad it's not enough, nor will it ever be."

"God, just _SHUT UP, WILL YOU_?" Jace bellowed, fighting against his restraints. _"You twisted, evil, poor excuse of a human being! How could you do such a thing and still deserve the privilege to live while others die at your mercy?"_

Valentine narrowed his eyes imperceptibly but said nothing.

"Jace," Magnus spoke up. "How much do you know, exactly? Because what I'd like to know is if we've got to keep this bastard alive or not."

"Kill him," Jace said without hesitation. "Kill him as slowly and as painfully as you can manage. That's all I'll ever need to know."

Magnus exchanged a look with Alec, who shrugged but nodded his head anyway. Glancing around and exchanging looks with everyone, Magnus finally sighed and complied with Jace's orders. With a quick flick of the wrist, the reign of terror was finally over –for now, at least.

* * *

"Half the crew is made up of demons," Jace explained as Magnus quickly undid the manacles and healed his wounds with magical blue sparks. "I have no idea just how loyal they are to Valentine, but I'm pretty sure they won't be too much of a burden. He seemed to use intimidation in order to get them to obey, so with him out of the picture, I'm sure taming them will be easy. Unless you have other things in mind…?"

With one last glance-over, Magnus sighed. "Demons aren't like normal Downworlders; once they swear fealty, they're loyal for as long as you make them to be. We can't risk it. Unfortunately for me, none of you seemed to be trained properly to protect your own lives, so this fight is mainly for me."

"Not true," Jace persisted as Magnus switched his attention to Clary. When Magnus placed two fingers on her wrist, Jace fell silent and felt his own heart pick up double time as Magnus tried to pick up a pulse. When Magnus gave him a curt nod, Jace sighed in relief.

"What do you mean by 'not true'?" Alec asked from behind the two.

Jace turned around and gave the boy a curious look. "My father–Stephen–he told me I was an experiment. That I was created for a special reason, and I assume this has something to do with my training."

"Training?" Alec looked incredulous.

Jace rolled his eyes. "You heard me right. Ever since I was born, I was taught to use anything as a weapon, from an AK-47 to a plastic knife. 'Kalashnikov' was the first word I learned how to say, if that helps. And weaponry isn't my specialty–hand-to-hand combat is moreover my forte."

Simon–who stood next to Izzy–blanched. "What a pleasant thought, considering you're dating my sister."

Jace tossed Simon a crooked smile. "Think of it this way, Garroway. At least she'll be safe with me."

"Until she breaks up with you," Simon mumbled.

"There's always that," Izzy agreed.

"Will you all just stop talking for a second?" Magnus' voice was strained and immediately drew the attention back to him as blue sparks–more vibrant than ever–flowed from his fingertips and into Clary's orifices. Leaning in closer, Alec touched Magnus' shoulder to get a glimpse and immediately felt his energy being sucked out from him through the fingers that touched Magnus.

"Alec," Magnus warned, glancing up at his boyfriend.

"Use it," Alec said through clenched teeth. "For her. Please." Alec fought back the blackness that threatened to suck him in by focusing on the look of awe and admiration on his boyfriend's face and forced a smile on his face to prove to everyone that he was okay. What he didn't expect was to see Jace take a step forward, placing a firm hand on the warlock's other shoulder and Izzy along with Simon following suit soon after. "Use it all."

* * *

At first, there was nothing. She was floating in a black abyss with no sense of direction, just simply hovering in place with a sense of pleasant weightlessness. But then, with the force of a wrecking ball hitting against a concrete wall, she was no longer insubstantial; she had weight that tugged her downwards and caused her to fall, the wind to whip her hair around her face as she descended…

_Thud_. She landed into a tight, confined space that ached everywhere. Oh, how she _longed _to be gaseous once more, to feel truly free in every sense of the word, instead of cramped up in the confined prison that was her body.

Excruciating pain was a constant reminder that she could no longer return to that delightful form along with the sensation that something was slowly stroking her head. Reality settling in, she fluttered her eyelids open and inhaled her very first breath of life that she never thought she would have again.

"Clary," a voice rasped, followed by distinct murmurs that she couldn't register over the loud thumping of her heart. She turned her head towards the source out of instinct and felt her weak heart soar as it took in beautiful piercing amber eyes–the very ones she fell in love with–set in a beautiful, angular face contorted with pain and relief. "You're _alive_."

Since her first breath, breathing was coming more naturally, but she couldn't trust her voice just yet. The bitter taste in her mouth informed her that talking was probably something she didn't want to try just yet, so she nodded once, more than relieved she had ever been in her entire life.

_Alive._ How glorious and beautiful that word sounded. Was it true? Had she been dead for a few hours, almost beyond the brink of return, only to be back again? Was she sure that this wasn't some sort of mind-trick, that maybe she was already in Heaven, looking down on Earth from afar? Or maybe she hadn't really died at all, because really, how was coming back to life after being dead for hours even possible?

But none of those questions mattered the moment her eyes fell on Jace's. Because she was back again–for some reason–and she had Jace back, and that was all that mattered to her. Oh, and Simon too.

* * *

The moment Clary sucked in a deep breath was like the sound of angels singing to Jace's ears. For the longest time, Jace felt as if he would never see her again and had already put up a defensive wall around his heart to ensure that the death of her wouldn't be nearly as painful as it could be in order for him to focus on the task at hand. But now the murderous weasel was gone for good and he could finally let himself _feel _for the first time in days.

"Oh God," Jace rasped, leaning over and pulling Clary's head into his lap–too afraid to make any sudden gestures that might harm her. "You're _alive!_ Thank the Angel."

Jace never showed emotion in general, so crying his heart out in front of five other people who actually understood what ordeal he'd just been through was an emotional milestone. Still, he didn't flinch when he felt Izzy's hand on his back, rubbing soft soothing circles on his back or when Simon pulled Clary's right hand into his lap and intertwined her fingers with his. Because in the end, in their own way, they all understood and empathized with each other–and that's all that mattered at the moment.

That is, until Jace realized something horribly wrong. He tensed up immediately, causing Izzy's hand to still as she asked him what was wrong. But he barely heard her voice over the rolling waves of self-loathing in his mind that slammed down on him as he realized he had overlooked a small detail that should have never been overlooked.

"Magnus," Jace said, sounding eerily calm, "is Valentine the only person you managed to find the moment you stormed in?"

Comprehending and regretting the fact that he did, Magnus answered honestly. "Yes."

Jace sighed, his muscles tensing up the way they did moments before a fight. "We shouldn't have counted our eggs before they hatched."

* * *

**For all those who thought her dead, well, what do you think now? It's never a good story if it doesn't have a good twist to it!**

**Clary: I agree. I very much prefer being alive, thank you very much.**

**Jace: As do I.**

**Simon: I concur.**

**Jace: About time you guys showed up, too.**

**Izzy: Don't complain! As you've probably read, we were in our own predicament.**

**Alec: Yeah!**

**Jace: Sorry, I must've skipped over it in search for more awesome parts about me.**

**Izzy: Self-absorbed prick.**

**Jace: Narcissistic primadonna.**

**Alec: Ugh, really guys?**

**Izzy: Batshit crazy asswad!**

**Jace: Ego-tripping princess-wannabe.**

**Simon: Assburger with a side of skankfries!**

***Jace raises an eyebrow***

**Jace: I think I've just lost my appetite.**

**Simon: That so? Got any room for the taste of defeat?**

**Jace: Virgin.**

***Clary slaps Jace***

**Clary: STOP IT!**

**Me: Ugh…Is it bad of me to admit I secretly missed this bantering?**


	15. This Is How It's Been, It Always Will Be

**Honestly you guys? Almost 100 reviews? You're the BEST! This really made my night, especially considering how totally all over the place the past few days. I blame school :/ But wow, you guys seriously rock for reviewing and such. I really do feed off your input and who knows? Maybe what you say will influence how the story goes ;) Just a friendly hint!**

**Oh and because I really felt obligated to clarify: Simon is Clary's BROTHER in this story, not friend. So that's why he was really awkward when she was holding his hand in her sleep and such…read on for it to make sense!**

_Songs:_

_Waking The Demon by Bullet For My Valentine_

_Four Words To Choke Upon by BFMV (during the fight scene between J and J :D Read on to find out more!)_

OR

_You're Going Down by Sick Puppies (these two songs both work for the fight scene!)_

_Behind Blue Eyes cover by Limp Bizkit (Jace's feelings after a certain scene…this basically becomes his anthem from this point onwards.)_

_Fix You by Coldplay (Magnus and Clary's relationship, basically. I know Magnus isn't notorious for being nice to mundanes, but there's a reason he's nice to Clary! You'll find out soon enough, no worries!)_

* * *

With no clue as to where he was going, Jace sprinted ahead of the group on sole instinct–_feeling_ instead of looking for Jonathan. Whatever strong feelings of raw hatred he had for the other boy–no longer his brother–had consumed him and he wasn't afraid of letting it lead him forward as he turned left, then right, tearing down the hallways.

Alec and Izzy insisted on following him since they too had gone through training–both of them had been through karate and had the black belts to prove it–while Simon and Magnus brought Clary back to Magnus' room to avoid the attention as the warlock healed her. But Jace barely registered their presence and wouldn't have even realized they were still there if not for their heavy panting as they struggled to keep up.

"Jace," Alec wheezed after a while. "Where are you…?"

But Jace didn't answer; he didn't have to since they had reached their final destination–the gym on the ninth floor. He had no knowledge of what might lie behind the steel double doors, only that whatever it was had an evil aura about it that saturated the atmosphere and made it harder to breathe.

"By the Angel," Alec swore, pulling his collar up to his nose to cover his nose and mouth. "What is that _smell_?"

Jace glanced at the Lightwood siblings and shook his head sadly. "I have no idea and neither will you. This is my battle and mine only."

The siblings openly gaped at Jace, taking in his horrible state–the fleshy rings encircling his wrists and ankles, the blood stains on his torn clothing, the purplish bruises under his eyes and the fact that he couldn't stand still in one place without swaying slightly–and figured he had officially lost all common sense.

"Jace," Alec said slowly. "You're crazy if you think you can fight Jonathan by yourself. You're not exactly at the peak of your health, if you know what I mean."

"So stop being a pretentious ass and let us help," Izzy concluded. "Because we are either with or against you if you don't let us help you, and may the Angel himself strike me down if I have to go against you to prove my point."

Alec raised an eyebrow at Izzy, but figured she needed to be demanding in order to bargain with someone as pigheaded as Jace. And it seemed to work from the slight smile on Jace's face as he nodded before turning back to face the doors in front of them.

With a deep breath, he grabbed the freezing cold handle and yanked it down, shoving the door open.

But if it was a fight he was expecting, Jace was easily disappointed. The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by a gentle breeze that brought a stench similar to that of a freshly rotting corpse and dumpster combined. And since he hadn't once been to the gym during daylight hours, he had absolutely no idea where anything was because the lights were off. The only light source he had to work with was the wall opposite him that was made up entirely of glass windows, but even so, it wasn't enough for him to prevent walking into several pieces of equipment.

"God this place is scary," Izzy whispered, her teeth chattering audibly. But when Alec turned around and raised a finger to his lips, she nodded in understanding and kept quiet from then. The only noise from that moment on was the string of profanities that would ensue every time one of them would stub their toe on the edge of a treadmill or the likes.

Then, so dimly at first that Jace didn't notice it until he was closer, he saw a flicker of light. Snapping his head to the right, he gestured behind him for the others to follow as he crept closer, only to stumble upon what he realized was the center of the equipment maze.

Within the large arena was what appeared to be a star made out of flickering flames set in the center of a fiery circle until the name of it suddenly came to Jace's mind: _pentagram_. He had no idea how he knew that it was called that, only that the second his mind recognized it, the name came to him. That, and he had the sudden impulse to run as far away from where he stood, only a few feet away from it, without looking back.

But he knew he couldn't, because as every molecule in his body screamed in protest, they warned him that Jonathan was lurking somewhere nearby, watching him. And he couldn't afford to give up the opportunity for retribution, not when he made it this far. This was his last chance, and he was hell-bent to take advantage of it while he still had the upper hand.

Then, a shadow flickered across the periphery of his vision. But before he could turn his head, Jonathan appeared at the topmost point of the star across from him.

Smiling as charmingly as possible, Jonathan chuckled. "So good to see you again, _brother_. I thought you were long dead at this point, but it's nice to see you haven't let me down yet."

"I can't say the same for you, _brother_," Jace shot back, mimicking the cool tone Jonathan spoke with. "I'll admit, you had me at the whole 'at least I still have a father' bit, but there's no more confusion now."

The corner of Jonathan's lip twitched. "Still the witty one, I see. At least that hasn't changed much since the revelation. And here's another thing while we're at it: I'm still ahead of the game, as always."

"Really now?" Jace chuckled, amused. "Is that what being a traitor is called nowadays? Hmm, I'll have to look into that."

"Betraying someone you were never loyal to in the first place doesn't make you a traitor," Jonathan sneered.

"Well, good to know for me, but we're talking about you here. And whereas I haven't changed much, you must've hit your head or something if you think I'm buying your lies. You followed Stephen around like a long lost puppy, but I guess that's because he bore a strong resemblance to Valentine."

Jace scrutinized Jonathan and took into account the way he swallowed slowly at the mention of Stephen and the way his eye twitched at the mention of Valentine. And putting two together, Jace realized he had something on his former brother.

"Or maybe you're just lying to yourself," Jace continued with ease, falling into the comfort of being the ass that he was notorious for being. "Maybe–and this is a big 'maybe'–you pretended that Stephen was Valentine so that every time Stephen treated you nicely, in your mind, Valentine was rewarding you. Because what else were you to do when the only man that showed you true compassion decided to use you for his own personal gain and then abandoned you? To be honest here, I don't blame you a bit."

Alec watched, completely amazed by Jace as the dynamic of the scene unfolding before him did a one-eighty flip, with Jace now on top and in full command instead of how it was only a few seconds ago. Just how did the blond boy managed it was an enigma to him–one he wasn't so sure he wanted the answer to.

"_I'm_ the liar?" Jonathan laughed in an almost manic manner. Yes, Jace had indeed gotten into the other boy's mind the way he intended to, and it bothered Jonathan to no end. "_Me?_ Look at yourself, Jace. Tell me, exactly, what you are? Do you even have the slightest idea to what lengths Valentine went for you, to mold you into the image of perfection?"

"Yes, and I'm sure all the fan girls appreciate him for that," Jace said with a dismissive wave. "But you, oh boy, that has got to drive you _insane_. The thought that I, the ungrateful one, took advantage of what Valentine had to bestow on me and shoved it back in his face while you, the one who worked hard for his attention and love, never got any because you weren't his true experiment…well, that's got to be maddening. And I don't need you to confirm it to know it's the truth. You know why?" Tapping his temple, Jace smiled maliciously. "Because he instilled it into me."

Those were the key words that caused whatever shred of tolerance Jonathan had left in him to snap. Jace could see it in his eyes and felt the adrenaline sing in his veins as the other boy ran around the pentagram to get to Jace at a blinding speed that rivaled the speed of light.

However fast Jonathan was, Jace was always faster. Meeting Jonathan halfway, Jace dropped to his knees and in a quick motion, spun his body around with his left leg out, tripping his former brother and taking him off guard long enough to kick off the floor and land on top of him.

"It's all your fault," he roared, pinning Jonathan's wrists above his head. _"Why can't you see that?"_

But Jonathan just laughed. "You're always so selfish, except when it comes to taking the blame for something that's clearly your fault." Those words resonated in Jace's head, momentarily snatching his attention long enough for Jonathan to dig his elbows into his thighs and wriggle out from underneath the furious golden boy.

Jace reached out to grab onto Jonathan's shoulders but was caught off guard when Jonathan elbowed him, scraping his cheekbone. "Bastard!" Jace swore, tucking his head down and charging forward, using his body to tackle the other boy.

But Jonathan surprised him by rolling to the side and sticking his arm out so that instead of coming in contact with his body, Jace ended up taking a fist to the face. "I told you," Jonathan cackled as he stood up. "Selfish. Maybe if you'd stop talking about yourself, you'd be a better fighter."

Jace stood up quickly, too fast for Jonathan's eyes to catch on, and landed a roundhouse kick to Jonathan's temple. "Hypocrite. Take your own damn advice before preaching it." And before he could stop himself, Jace swung his leg back to gain momentum before swinging it down axe-style onto Jonathan's body several times, finally giving into his darkest desire–_revenge_.

_This is for Stephen,_ Jace thought angrily with each kick. _And this is for me…and this, _this_ is for Clary, you sick , son of a–_

"Jace!" The sound of his name being called stopped him mid-kick, tearing him free from the smoky haze that obscured his thoughts.

"What?" he growled, then stopped once he realized who was talking to him…and how feral that one word sounded. "I…sorry." Looking at Izzy, Jace realized Alec was holding her back as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Is he…is he…?" Izzy managed between sobs. Jace grimaced, got down on his knees and felt Jonathan's wrist for a pulse…and felt nothing. And even though Jonathan hadn't acted like a brother to Jace the past few days–in his own mind–Jace still viewed Jonathan as a brother. They had grown up together, shared secrets together and regardless of how often they told each other how much they hated the other one, never in a million years would Jace have thought he would have to _kill_ Jonathan.

"Yeah," Jace said hoarsely without looking at either Lightwood, his own voice sounding millions of miles away to his own ears. "He's dead all right."

"Let's go," Alec cooed, pulling Izzy into his chest, stroking her hair softly the entire time. "We've got other things to attend to."

Jace watched as Izzy pulled out of Alec's arms, sniffling before putting on a mask of determination, and found himself smiling. The way the Lightwoods interacted with each other reminded him so much of how he and Jonathan used to be. Whenever one was sad, the other would do anything to be the stronger person for the two of them.

* * *

Simon watched as Clary rolled onto her side facing him and smiled. It was like she always knew what side of the bed he was on, following him as he got up and sat on the other edge of the bed like a flower followed the sun for warmth and nourishment. When he noticed a stray lock cross her face, he leaned in and gently moved it out of the way. But the moment his hand was about to pull away, Clary grabbed onto his hand.

At first, Simon tensed up, thinking he had accidentally woken up Clary–which, for those who didn't know Clary, was a death wish. But when she sighed and smiled, Simon figured she was still asleep.

"Hey Clare Bear," Simon whispered, teasing her. "I kind of need my hand back so can I…?" Slowly, he attempted to remove his hand, only to have her latch on harder.

"Nuh," Clary breathed, barely audible. "Stay for me…Jace…"

Simon froze. Was Clary dreaming of _Jace_? He felt his face flush in embarrassment; he _so_ wasn't in the mood to hear his sister's fantasies–whatever they may be–about the sarcastic golden boy. As gently as he could manage, Simon attempted once again to free his hand, only to find that his sister had a vice-like grip in her sleep.

"Clary," Simon said softly, "I'm only asking you as nicely as I can, but _please_ for the life of me, don't talk about Jace with me here. _Please!_"

"Mmm," Clary sighed with a smile on her face. "Jace…"

"_PLEASE!"_

The urgency in Simon's voice caused Clary to stir and Simon sucked in a breath as she slowly regained consciousness. He watched as she slowly opened her eyelids, her eyes still glazed over with sleep as she stared back at him for a second before she realized _whom_ she was staring at and then proceeded to scream.

"It's just me!" Simon screamed back, yanking his hand back the moment Clary allowed him to. "Calm down, jeesh!"

Sitting upright, Clary threw herself at her brother and pulled him into a bear hug. "Oh thank God," she cried, already soaking his t-shirt with her tears. "I thought I was dying and…_thank God I'm alive!_"

Simon had anticipated this; Magnus had warned him ahead of time that Clary wouldn't remember the first moment she awoke in the boiler room after healing because of the immense pain she was in and how the amount of magic he had bestowed onto her in order to heal her had that affect on her. But to be honest, Simon was much happier with this alternative–surely waking up in a boiler room in a pool of her own blood didn't hold much appeal as a "Welcome Back" sign, did it?

Sure, she wouldn't remember the intimate way Jace had held her the moment she came back, but he was going to come back anyway, so it wasn't a major loss. And acting excited to have her back wouldn't be too hard for him to manage. He was just glad to have her back, safe and sound in his arms and away from any threats.

And as if she could read his mind, Clary asked, "Where's Jace?"

Simon shrugged. "He went out to stop his evil brother. But don't worry–Alec and Izzy went with him to take the guy down, so we have nothing to worry about. And I mean it."

Clary looked at him hesitantly, as if she wanted to protest, but thought better of it and just shook her head. "And Valentine…?"

"Long gone," Simon beamed, glad that he had a real answer for once. "Magnus got rid of him–by the way, he's a warlock. The magical kind, not the WoW kind! Apparently that kind of stuff does exist in this world–it's just us, uh…I think he called us 'mundanes'…yeah, we don't know about them. Or we aren't supposed to. And demons exist too and–"

"Not to burst your bubble or anything," Clary said with an apologetic smile, "but I kind of already got this update. Valentine is very loquacious when he's around his captors, so blame him."

"It's not like I don't blame him for everything anyway," Simon shrugged. "But hey, how _awesome_ do you think that is? Like, imagine if we were warlocks or faeries or vampires or werewolves or _anything_ of those kinds of things!"

"Hey, Simon? Must I remind you that we're not in a video game? Life isn't all fun and games and I'm pretty sure living in a world where no one except your own kind knows you exist isn't all it seems to be."

"Psh, says you," Simon teased, lying back on the bed and folding his arms behind his head. "But I'd think it'd be wicked awesome if I could make things appear out of nowhere. I'd hate to be a vampire though; always having to worry about drinking blood all the time has got to be depressing."

"Mhm," Clary agreed, taking up his position beside him. "I think I'd be a faerie. They're said to be the wisest of them all."

"Only because they live the longest," another voice interrupted, causing both of Garroways to sit up. When Simon realized it was Magnus, he smiled and nodded at him. "And the angel-faced devils can't lie, but they're very crafty with the truth. Bending words is their favorite hobby, trust me."

"Magnus," Simon announced, "this is Clary. Clary, this is Magnus–possibly the glitteriest being I've ever had the honor of meeting."

"I've met you before," Magnus said with a hand flourish as he bowed in front of her, taking up a hand and pressing his lips against it. "But it's always nice to be properly introduced. Enchanté, ma petit."

"Merci?" Clary tossed Simon a look, to which he responded with a shrug and a nod of encouragement.

"Please, the pleasure is all mine," Magnus beamed, straightening and clapping his hands together. "Now, how's our little patient doing? Feeling any better?"

"Much, actually." Clary was surprised by the honesty in her words. She felt no pain whatsoever and if it weren't for the fact that certain images stuck out from that horrific experience in the boiler room, she could've easily been convinced everything was simply just a dream–a figment of her imagination, really. But sadly enough, this wasn't the case.

"Very good," Magnus said with a nod. "And it seems there are no side effects at all. If I were you, I'd stay in bed and get a little more sleep–and don't worry about your safety or your family's. I put up wards–spells, if you will–outside the parameters of your doors so that only mundanes can cross through. You're fine, for now. So just relax while I freshen up."

"Thank you so much," Clary smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. "For everything, really. And I promise to keep your existence a secret, and I'll even make Simon swear to it. I owe you my life."

"Oh, you owe me much more than that dear," Magnus chuckled as he turned around and began to head off for the bathroom. "But that'll suffice for now."

* * *

**Well? Reviews? Anything?**

**Simon: I think you're asking too much now, you wrote so much and it still has to be taken in, y'know?**

**Clary: I came back to life…twice?**

**Jace: At this point, anything is possible. I killed my brother, you come back to life twice…well, the first time you didn't remember, so we reenacted it without me there. I'm holding that against you, bloodsucker.**

**Simon: Are we honestly ever going to get along?**

**Izzy: Honestly? I doubt it. Jace is up on the foodchain and you're at the bottom…no offense.**

**Clary: HEY! That's not fair.**

**Magnus: No one said life was fair, hun.**

**Me: Which is exactly why I have so much homework and so little time to do it-Damn fanfiction.**


	16. Lost Under The Surface

**Yes, I am aware that this is a short update, but I always spoil you guys with some big ones plus the new story I added yesterday entitled 'Niche' (cough check it out cough), so no complaints! Also, I might not be able to update as frequently and as much as I once was able to because as I've said before, this year is really busy for me school-wise and it's an obvious priority. I just hope you guys bear with me is all :/**

**WARNING: There is a little "mature" scene that is bordering on a strong suggestion, so if you have a virgin mind and don't like to read slightly perverse stories (why you're reading any of my stories then is beyond my capabilities to comprehend), don't read it! However, if you love that kind of stuff, then by all means proceed :D**

_Songs:_

_Numb by Linkin Park (Jace's chapter song)_

_Anywhere But Here by SafetySuit (SPOILER: Jace and Clary's reunion!)_

_Eat You Alive by Limp Bizkit (when Brady uh, "scores". Only because I felt they needed a song as well :P)_

_Don't Walk Away by Sick Puppies (For Jace/Clary/Simon at the end of the chapter)_

_

* * *

_

Jace felt detached from his body as his feet propelled him forward, barely touching the ground with every pounding step. _You just killed your brother._ Those dreaded words ran in endless circles in his mind and no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise–_he was never your brother, he betrayed you and your father_–he couldn't shake the guilt that made him clumsy and sluggish as the memories of a brighter past flooded in his mind. Him and Jonathan playing on the swings, him and Jonathan going on bug hunts, him and Jonathan taking karate lessons…

"Jace?" Alec's voice sounded as if he was miles away instead of just a few feet, and even though Jace's eyes took in the image of the other boy standing before him with concern written on his face, Jace felt as if he was somewhere else. In a distant land, where nothing could touch him, was where he was.

"I need…I need…"

"We're going to see Clary now," Alec said slowly, holding his hands up in a submissive way. "Just please come with–"

Jace barely registered Izzy as she shoved her brother aside and yanked on Jace by the wrist, causing a spark of pain to shoot up his arm when her hand encircled his cuts. But he didn't complain; the sharp, burning pain was what kept him grounded.

"…Always me who has to take over…" Izzy snapped at Alec as they rounded the corner.

"…Too much, too soon…" Alec pointed out.

"…We can't now because we're still _going_ through trauma…"

Since Jace was barely paying any attention to the conversation, it took him a minute to realize they had reached their destination once they halted in front of a cabin. Glancing around, Alec stepped forward and knocked on the door in a certain rhythmic pattern. A second later, the door flew open, revealing a glittery warlock. Words were exchanged and with a nod of his head, Magnus stepped aside.

Jace felt a small pressure on his back and it took a second for the obvious message to click: he was the only one allowed to enter the room. Shoving down the previous somber thoughts, Jace took a deep breath before stepping over the threshold, unsure of what to expect.

But the moment his eyes fell upon a beautiful porcelain face that lit up the moment its glittery emerald eyes drank him in, all evil thoughts that had plagued his mind a second ago disappeared. There, on the bed before him, was his only reason for living at this point.

"Hey–" Clary managed to get out before Jace took the room in three strides and sat down on the bed, covering her in rough kisses that scraped her skin. _"Jace!"_

She felt her face flush when she heard the cabin door slam shut, but didn't care at that point. Jace was _alive_; sure, he smelled like a city sewer after National Taco Day and yes, his stubble scraped at her skin, but all of these signs pointed to his vitality and that was all that mattered to her.

"Oh _Jace_," she sighed in relief, pulling him closer. But it was when he was sitting in between her legs, awkwardly clinging onto her body in a way that reminded her of the time she babysat a little boy who had separation anxiety, did she notice he was trembling; no, _sobbing._

She felt his tears when his kisses became more urgent and she first thought it was just saliva. But then he started hyperventilating and she pulled away to see his golden irises were more manic than ever in stark contrast to his now bloodshot eyes.

"Jace?" she asked and felt her voice rise in panic.

"Make me forget," he rasped, the sound of raw pain in his voice acting like a dagger to her heart. He balled up his fists into the comforter of the bed, his entire frame vibrating in place. "Make me forget _everything_."

Without a second thought, Clary moved over to him–ignoring the shouts of protest in her sore muscles–and balled her fists into his oily hair to pull him closer as she mashed her lips against his. This kiss was very much unlike the kisses she had ever experienced in her life; it was rough, unyielding and full of emotion that by simply engaging in it, Clary was drowning in Jace's tears. His sadness, his loss, all of the bottled up feelings he had kept inside of him overwhelmed her, and yet she didn't refuse any of it as she drank him up.

She wanted him to know that she was there for him, that when he was in pain, she was in pain as well. She wanted him to know that he was alone as long as she lived. She wanted him to know this and so much more–like how her heart fluttered at the very thought of him, how no matter how miserable she could be, he was the only one who could brighten her day by being in the same room with her…and how she loved him, with every ounce of her very being, and how she hoped he felt the same.

More furious tears trailed down his face, causing visible streaks to show since his face was originally covered in sweat, blood and grim, but he didn't care. No, he had _her_ and she was accepting him for who he was–a broken little boy who had lost everything he had once held near and dear to him. And she _still _accepted him.

Once he could gain the feeling back in his hands, slowly he released the bed sheets and reached up to cup her fragile face, to hold her only to confirm that this wasn't all just a dream. And the moment his clammy skin touched her smooth skin, he knew she was real.

* * *

"The two lovebirds better finish up in there soon," Magnus said with a hint of impatience. "We've got lots of planning to do and not much time."

"What are you talking about?" Alec asked warily.

Magnus looked up at his boyfriend and sighed dramatically. "The demon slaves, remember? They're still loyal to Valentine and Jonathan, regardless of their life or death, and will continue to carry the orders until they are either stopped or the mission is completed. And even if it is the latter of the two, they will continue to roam the earth. So your best bet is to kill them all while you can."

Simon blanched. Sure, while he was all talk during video games about how many kills he got on D&D and WoW, talking about killing anything bigger than a spider spooked him. To actually hold a dagger and use it with the intention of getting its blade soaked in blood...

He shuddered.

"It's a good thing we did our fair share of martial arts then," Izzy laughed, nudging Alec.

"I suppose," Magnus purred, reaching out to muss Alec's hair. "But fighting a demon isn't like fighting a rapist or burglar. Every demon has a specific weakness and I'm afraid that I don't have enough time to teach you all of it."

Izzy took a step closer until she was an inch away from Magnus' surprised face and narrowed her eyes into slits. "Never doubt a Lightwood. Ever."

Simon leaned over to Alec and whispered into his ear, "Remind me to never mess with your sister. Ever."

Crinkling his nose in disdain, Alec replied, "I believe it's a little too late for that now, isn't it?"

* * *

"Oh _Brady,_" Tiffany moaned as he ran his tongue up the sensitive skin behind her ears, grinding into her since she was propped up against the shelves in the utility closet with his body holding her in place. She was originally getting a refill of disinfectants to clean up the girl's bathroom on deck since she'd forgotten to the night before, but when she happened to run into Brady in the hallway, she couldn't resist herself.

She felt the pole digging into her back behind her but didn't care. She fisted a handful of Brady's hair as she moaned, clinging onto him to keep herself from getting lost in the sea of ecstasy that threatened to spill over. _"Brady…"_

"Brady," another voice–a much deeper one that sounded as if the owner was speaking through a mouthful of gravel–wheedled. Tiffany felt Brady tense and rolled her eyes back down to take in ghoulish green eyes that seemed to radiate their own glow that was the only source of light in the room. She sucked in a breath to elicit a scream, but had no chance to before she was sucked into the blackness.

* * *

Magnus knocked on the door three times before storming in with Simon in front of him as a human shield. When he walked in to see a fully dressed Jace cradling a fully dressed Clary in his lap, he sighed in relief. "Oh thank the Angel."

"No problem," Simon grumbled, shrugging off the warlock's hands and rushing to stand next to the bed. Yes, at first he thought that the warlock was the coolest thing he'd ever seen in his entire life–and maybe he was also a little jealous of Magnus' power–but now he was just plain annoying.

"Magnus thinks we should come up with a plan," Alec said as he strode into the room.

"Because the fight isn't really over yet," Izzy continued as she kicked the door shut behind her. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "As much as I hate to think we're hopeless, all signs point to that conclusion. In laymen's terms, we're screwed."

"'Laymen's terms'?" Jace snorted, shaking his head. "And why is that?"

"Because we can only trust about six people–the ones that are present right now–with the knowledge of demons," Magnus explained. "And only about four of them know how to actually _fight_–well, only _one_ knows how to fight. The other three–Jace, Alec and Izzy–will be my students. And I still have yet to know how many demons occupy this ship."

"Wouldn't you know by now?" Simon piped up, surprising everyone by his voice. The silence that ensued only lasted for a minute, but it felt like an hour before Magnus spoke again.

"And what do you mean by that?" Magnus said curtly, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm no warlock or demon professional," Simon said defensively. "But from my video game experience–"

"Oh will you _quit_ with that already?" Jace snarled, startling Clary. "Video games and reality exist on two very separate planes. Video games are the fun parts of reality magnified with the sole purpose to suck idiots like you into their world so that you'd fall victim into the vicious cycle of addiction to the point where you invest all your money into their products and quite possibly risk losing a connection to the real world. It's all a marketing scam and has _nothing to do with the way reality works._ When you die in a video game, you can reboot. When you die in real life, it's _game over._ Permanently."

"Jace!" Clary screamed, quickly scampering off of his lap to stand by Simon. But the moment he was within her fingers' grasp, he kicked off the wall and stormed out of the room. But not before Clary could have the image of his face forever imprinted into her mind–red with embarrassment, his eyes watery with unshed tears and his lips hardened into a seam to keep from crying out. A face she'd never think to see on him in her entire life.

Whipping around, Clary felt her rage flame up inside of her, suffocating her until she managed to choke out the very words she knew she would end up regretting later. _"I hate you, Jace Morgenstern!"_

* * *

Clary rounded the corner in the hallway, running to catch up with Simon and coming up short just when she could almost reach him if she stuck out her hand. _"Simon!"_

But he didn't answer; no, instead, he kept running as if he was running for his life. She felt the sweat bead up on her forehead, her legs burning with the lack of oxygen her lungs were providing even though she was sucking in mouthfuls of air, but she couldn't give up. However, she needed to convince him to stop because if he didn't, she might end up collapsing from the strain. It was a miracle she even passed her Phys. Ed. Class considering the fatigue she was undergoing at the moment from running for only a minute.

"Simon," she cried out hoarsely, rounding another corner only to stop short when it happened to be a dead end. Simon stood with his back to her, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly as he breathed.

"Simon," she said warily, braving a step closer. That's when she noticed something was off; she distinctly recalled Simon wearing a white "What do you call a Tauren with no legs at all?" t-shirt with the cheesy punch line "Ground beef" on the back, whereas the white shirt he was wearing now had nothing written on the back. And as if to confirm her nagging suspicion, the person turned around slowly to reveal that the inky black hair she thought belonged to Simon was a different boy with similar features. On the upper left sleeve, a name was written in black maker: _Brady_.

But before she could ask the questions that were on the tip of her tongue–_who are you and where is Simon?–_the boy bared his teeth as he sprung on top of her.

* * *

**Magnus: And that's why, kiddies, you never–under any circumstances, whether you're angry or hurt–you **_**never**_** leave the safety zone. Because the moment you do will be the moment you'll regret.**

**Alec *rather quietly*: …Since when did Magnus talk on these chats?**

**Clary: I wish you told me that earlier, and it's not **_**my **_**fault!**

**Jace: Fine, I'll take the blame.**

**Clary *dumbstruck*: Really?**

**Jace *shrugging*: I shouldn't have said what I said. I was just so angry because of what had happened lately, and I know that's no excuse, but it's the truth–plus, real men don't give out excuses, we tell the truth the way we see it.**

**Simon: UN-**_**FREAKIN'**_**-BELIEVABLE! AFTER ALL THAT'S HAPPENED AND EVERONE ELSE IS STILL A BETTER FIGHTER THAN ME? THIS JUST ISN'T FAIR! **

**Jace: It's in the genes–no offense, Clary.**

**Clary: I'm not complaining, but I wish you'd just stop picking on Simon for once. It'll be the death of him, which will affect me too, you know.  
Jace: I'll consider your suggestion.**

**Clary *narrowing her eyes*: It wasn't a–forget it.**

**Izzy: Is seriously no one else astounded that **_**Magnus**_** decided to drop into the conversation?**

**Magnus *sighing*: I'm used to it by now. No one ever pays me any attention like they used to. And besides, my presence should be the least of your concerns. Could you even begin to fathom the wrath of enraged parents you all will have to face?**

***All cringe at the same time***


	17. You'll Always Be My Hero

**So I am aware that I didn't keep to my promise of updating ASAP, but forgive me for being so overloaded with work. I found time to breathe for a bit and finally added the last part that I felt was necessary to add before updating! So I hope you all like it, and please tell me what you think in the reviews! Also, on a somewhat unrelated side-note: I Beta for Hazelmist now and I recently edited her second chapter for "White Knight", which is about Jem and Tessa (for those who have read The Clockwork Angel). I must say, her writing is impressive-and not because I fixed up her grammar-and though I'm more of a Will/Tessa fan, I'll admit, this made me consider Jem more. So go check it out after you're done reading this if you have time! Because she has awesome socks :)**

_Songs:_

_You Lost Me by Christina Aguilera_

_In The House (In a Heartbeat) by John Murphy (it really sets the mood of Jace's emotional breakdown and how it starts off slowly but builds up to the point where he just loses it all and is left feeling numb…Not that this summary doesn't spoil anything haha!)_

_Hide & Seek by John Ottoman (I've never seen the movie, but this is a track for the movie 'Hide and Seek'. It reminds me of how the demons are with the humans, and how they sort of taunt the group because of the fact that they're shape-shifters so you never know who's human and who isn't)_

_Love The Way You Lie Part II by Rihanna ft. Eminem (Just for this part, because I feel like it perfectly fits Jace and Clary…read it and you'll understand:_

"_On the first page of our story_

_The future seemed so bright_

_Then this thing turned out so evil_

_I don't know why I'm still surprised_

_Even angels have their wicked schemes_

_And you take that to new extremes_

_But you'll always be my hero_

_Even though you've lost your mind…")_

**P.S. Sorry for the many breaks! There are a lot of POV changes.**

_

* * *

_

"Well don't just stand there," Magnus barked at Jace. "We have to get her! There are _demons_ on this–" But before he could finish his rant, Jace, Alec and Izzy bolted out the open door, leaving Magnus to stare in awe for a second before he shook his head and trailed after them.

Jace was in the lead once again, with Alec and Izzy on his heels, but this time he had no idea where he was running to. He slowed his pace down a bit, which was enough to get Izzy and Alec to catch on and slow down in order to wait for the warlock.

"You are all so impatient," Magnus said with a roll of his eyes.

"You were the one who told us to leave in the first place!" Izzy snapped, earning herself a dirty look from Alec.

However, her glare had no affect on the warlock. "If you waited a bit longer to hear the rest of my speech, you would've found out that only _I_ am capable of finding the girl."

He waited for silence before he snapped his fingers, bringing them all back into the room again. With a wave of his hand, he slammed the cabin door shut and with a flick of the wrist, the atmosphere was suddenly thicker in a similar way that the air felt seconds before a downpour.

When Magnus spoke again, his voice took on an ancient undertone that bespoke of existing for thousands of years. "Now as I'm sure you are all aware of, unspeakable creatures walk this very planet–creatures such as I, warlocks, and creatures such as demons. You've all heard of faeries, werewolves and vampires before, am I right?"

The teenagers nodded in unison, no one daring enough to interrupt his speech.

"And demons and angels as well?"

Another group nod.

"Well, I'm sure none of you don't know what separates a demon from an angel, correct?" Magnus glanced around to see blank looks and smiled to himself. He was thoroughly enjoying himself since he thrived on attention, but he knew there wouldn't be much time to explain all that _he_ knew to these silly mundanes. Oh, and two angels, of course.

* * *

Without a second thought, Clary sucked in a deep breath to let out a scream as the boy charged forward. But the moment her feet were swept out from underneath her as the boy threw her over his shoulder, Clary felt all the air in her lungs get knocked out of her system, panic settling in. She flailed her arms and legs in a desperate attempt to fight back, but it seemed like nothing would cause him to release her from his cold, hard grasp.

But she couldn't give up, not after all that had happened. She endured being a prisoner for a day, faced death head-on and managed to come back from it all almost unscathed, only to give up because she couldn't fight off a demonic human boy? No, this was _not_ how she was going out for good.

Sucking in another deep breath, Clary let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Rounding the corner, it only took a second for what was going on in front of him before Jace reacted––a zombie-like creature wrestling with a screaming Clary as he attempted to throw her over his shoulder. With adrenaline singing in his veins, Jace charged forward, hurling his own body at the creature and taking satisfaction when it howled in pain the second its body hit the floor.

"Jace!" Clary screamed, scrambling to get up and away from the two twitching bodies.

"Get back!" Jace roared as he continued to grapple with the creature, not taking his eyes off of it to see whether or not Clary obeyed his command––which she did the minute he spoke.

Clary ran into Izzy's arms and watched as Jace managed to gain dominance by putting the creature into a headlock before Magnus raised both of his hands––both coated with a sparkly blue cloud ––then shot them forward, causing the cloud to move from his hands onto the creature.

"Don't look," Izzy whispered into Clary's ear, but it was too late. With her undivided attention on the wrestling duo, she witnessed as the cloud hovered around the creature's head in a way that reminded her of how comics portrayed a swarm of angry hornets attacking a character. Then she gasped in horror when the cloud began to decompose the creature's features, aging it rapidly before it became nothing but a pile of ash spread across Jace's lap.

"Makes for an easier cleanup," Magnus said dismissively when Jace shot him a dirty look. "And it seems that Valentine was very fond of _Eidolons_––shape-shifting demons––which, on a demon-killing scale, aren't too hard to kill. Just annoying."

"Oh joy," Alec grumbled from where he stood beside Magnus.

"I was hoping for some fun while we're at it," Jace mock-whined. "But I suppose the greater the numbers, the greater the fact that they're easy prey."

"Easy prey for warlocks," Magnus said with a glittering smile. "And easy for you, Jace Wayland." Jace shot the warlock a withering look that only widened the smile on his sparkling face.

"They have Simon," Clary blurted out, unable to help herself. "We have to save him!"

"Clary," Izzy sighed, "we all know this. And this wouldn't have happened had we all stuck together instead of trying to rip each other's heads off! Let this be a lesson to us all"––Izzy shot Jace a warning look––"that we _must_ work together in order to overthrow this demon horde army, otherwise we won't make it out alive together in one piece. Understood?"

Izzy glanced around the group and felt satisfied when everyone nodded in agreement. "First things first," Magnus piped up. "We've got to alert the adults."

* * *

Jocelyn was in the midst of screaming at her husband and the Lightwoods for all being irresponsible and not keeping tabs on their kids like they should've when a sudden knock on the door broke her off mid-speech–not that anyone looked like they were willing to cut in anyway; when Jocelyn was furious, there was no stopping the woman.

Swinging the door open, the woman who stood so brave and fearless in front of three other adults almost passed out on the spot when she took in the familiar faces before her. "Oh my _God_!" she cried as she threw herself at her daughter, who was barely recognizable with the dirt and grime that covered her from head-to-toe. "Clary! _Where the hell have you been?_ You smell like a sewer!"

"Oh _mom,_" Clary groaned as her mom squeezed all the air out of her lungs. Clary had to suppress the urge to scream since they were wasting precious time that could be used to find Simon–and also the urge to hit Jace when he mumbled, "like you know from personal experience what a sewer smells like" in response to her mom's comment.

"Where's your brother, Simon?" Jocelyn asked, pulling away from Clary to scrutinize her daughter from arm's length away.

Clary took one hard look at her mother and the anxious adults behind her, swallowed nervously and glanced behind her for supporting looks from the other teenagers behind her. After Jace nodded–a silent nod of encouragement–Clary turned back to face the adults. Licking her lips nervously, she tasted sweat and blood. "That's the reason why we're here."

Jace made sure to keep his distance during the entire briefing, mainly because he was the reason for this whole ordeal––but also because it was quite amusing to watch the adults reactions as they were told that the so-called fairy tales they were once told back when they were children were actually a nightmare in real life. It was like watching a group of children being told Santa didn't exist for the first time.

"So now that everything's been cleared up," Magnus beamed as he clapped his hands together, "are there any questions?"

Jace scrutinized every adults' face and figured each of them was dying to question _Magnus'_ sanity, but neither did because of his little "demonstration" earlier ––a.k.a. literally blowing the door off of its hinges and putting it back in its place since it was one of his easiest tricks. The interesting thing that he noticed, however, was how impassive Jocelyn's face was the entire explanation. It was as if none of what Magnus had told her fazed her, which was highly suspicious to him.

And, as if she could read Jace's mind, Jocelyn raised her hand as if she was back in school once again. "I have a question: how exactly are we going to fight these Ei-demon creatures?"

"This all just sounds so made up," Maryse mumbled under her breath, not even lifting her gaze from the floor to acknowledge what was going on in the room as her husband rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Like a children's fable, only much worse."

"And the moral of the story is to not die," Alec added in, ignoring Izzy's burning glare.

Maryse glanced up then, as if her son's voice brought her back to reality and with horror did the Lightwood children realize how badly Maryse had been taking all of this: her expression was a rictus that bespoke of a true internal conflict that took on a physical toll within her.

"Mommy!" Izzy cried as she ran up to her mother, wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her into an embrace. Alec stood his ground, frozen in disbelief, as his eyes took in the scene before him ––his mother, always so strong and not once shedding even a tear now crippled, broken and in need of care. Jace took all of this in and made a mental note to pull Magnus aside to dissect his findings.

"Now I know this can all be very…overwhelming to say the least," Magnus spoke slowly. "But try to bear with me. We now have five adults and four teenagers with another teenager missing. Can we manage with this much bigger group? Possibly."

"Manage what?" a higher voice cut in, causing everyone to tense up. All heads snapped to find the source and when all the gazes fell onto a small boy with black hair and blue eyes magnified with massive black-rimmed glasses, the tension thickened to the consistency of butter. Had they all gotten so hyped up about the demons and whatnot to not realize a little boy was using the bathroom the entire time?

"I'm not dealing with that one," Magnus announced while he pointed at Max. "Someone else break the news to him."

Max narrowed his eyes imperceptibly and turned his gaze to his mom. Clary watched in despair as the little boy's eyes widened in shock and felt her heart sink when he lunged forward and flung himself into her arms along with Izzy.

"Mommy," Max said, his voice muffled by Maryse's shirt, "what's going on?"

* * *

The first thing Simon registered was a light breeze that tousled his hair and the sound of fabric flapping–the fabric probably his clothing, he reasoned. Upon opening his eyes, Simon realized many things that all resulted from the pitiful conclusion that he was as blind as a bat; somewhere along the lines, he had lost his glasses and couldn't see for the life of him.

But he didn't need perfect vision to realize where he was: the bright spotlight that was fixed on him that muted out everything else gave it away as well as the millions of screams that arose from the stunned crowd below him. Piecing that with the rope binding him to God-knew-what and the fact that the breeze suddenly picked up when the helicopter shining the spotlight on him lowered a bit and it dawned on him. He was on top of the boat, probably precariously attached to one of the smokestacks due to the thick smoke that burned his now open eyes and lungs with every breath.

"Just my damn luck," he spat bitterly. "When Jace gets kidnapped, he's attached to the safe boiler room but nooo, when Simon gets kidnapped, he gets the stupid special attention. Of course."

"Hello sir–Simon Lewis," a male voice boomed from speakers. "My name is Captain John Boudreaux and I am the one who controls this ship."

"Oh fantastic," Simon mumbled, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his tone. "Just what I needed–more attention. I wonder where Jace is? He'd love to come in and take all the attention away from my impending doom."

But before he could say any more, there was a distinct crash behind him. Simon snapped his head up and felt the blood in his veins turn into ice when his eyes met a pair of bloody red orbs with white slits in them. He felt his jaw drop and tried as he might, couldn't utter a single word. But he didn't need to, since a cacophony of screams in pure terror erupted from below him.

"Ssssssimooooooonn," the creature hissed, a black forked tongue flickering out from its snout that resembled a crocodile's. _"Ssssssimmooonn…"_

"Jesus-frickin'-Christ," Simon whispered hoarsely. "_Why_ does it have to have vocal cords?"

* * *

The moment she heard the screaming, Clary felt her heart freeze in her chest. But that didn't stop her feet from taking her to the place she knew she had to go, no matter how badly they ached: the uppermost deck. Jace was surprisingly keeping pace with her, but just barely since he had to stay within the others view so they knew where to go.

"Simon!" she screeched once she burst through the door and saw his face contorted in a mixture of emotions–although fear stood out the most–plastered on the massive screen opposite the smokestack, where her brother was being held captive.

Jace entered the scene a second later with the rest of the family trailing behind him. The moment he spotted Clary and followed her gaze, he was wracked with shock and guilt for being the reason Simon was in such a position. After all, if it weren't for him, Simon would still be with them, collaborating on how to take down the remaining demons. But no, his pride wouldn't have that since he never liked to admit to the fact that sometimes, he didn't have the answer for everything.

"Clary," Jace wheezed, his hands trembling as he tried to reach her. But when she just shrugged him off and ran to her mother, Jace felt…numb. So much had happened within the past two days, his life was thrown into such chaos, that nothing seemed real anymore. No matter how many times he pinched himself to confirm the fact that he was very much awake and alive, none of it registered as the truth. And nothing could quell the part of him in the back of his mind that told him that everything was a lie–a sick figment of his imagination–and that in the blink of an eye, he would be back in his room with his dad and brother there, laughing about some idiotic joke Stephen told.

But no, he could never go back to that no matter how hard he tried. And he had to face that fact and move on quickly, because he hadn't made it out yet and there were still things that needed to be done before he could wallow in his misery. Glancing up at the smokestack where the demon was now taunting Simon by pulling at the rope that attached Simon's waist to the pole behind him, Jace sighed. "They just had to have the stupid whale fin smokestack, didn't they?"

* * *

Alec, who was the last of the group to arrive at the upper deck, felt his jaw drop the moment his eyes found the blown up pale face projected onto the screen before thousands of people too stunned to do anything about it. Scanning the crowd, he found his sister and mother cowering beneath their father's muscular arms. Without a second thought, he shoved his way through the crowd until he was standing before his family.

"Where's Magnus?" he commanded, meeting his father's gaze. He knew without having to see the depths of his father's eyes the shock that he was experiencing since Alec had never stood up to him before, but was shocked to hear the admiration and respect in his father's tone when he spoke: "He didn't say anything, but I saw him follow Jace walk through the crowd headed towards the smokestack. I would've followed but…"

He trailed off, but Alec knew that it was because he couldn't leave his wife and Izzy while they were in such traumatized states. Alec nodded once before turning about-face and running off towards the smokestack, shoving without caring since the masses were too paralyzed with shock to do anything.

"Mr. Simon Lewis," the captain droned on in a slow, monotonous tone, "Whatever may be the reason you're up there…"

"…Which is kidnapping," Simon added.

"…Let me be the first to tell you that this is in no way a good way to end your life."

"_What?"_ Simon shrieked, his voice still drowned out by the air whipping around him due to the helicopter. "Can't you see that I'm–oh…_crap_." It all suddenly clicked; the very reason why he was up there was unbeknownst to the crowd of people below and around him. _It all made sense!_

The reason why no one else knew about the very dangerous situation he was in was because no one else could actually _see_ the demons but him and his close friends.

He couldn't believe he didn't think of that earlier; after all, it was he who spent hours of his life away on video games based on such crazy theories and only him and Jace, Clary, Alec and Izzy who actually _experienced_ firsthand the demons and saw them in their true form. So, if the games were actually telling the truth…then that meant that unless the other people below him had the Sight to see such creatures or have experienced firsthand the demons, he probably looked like a suicidal jumper to them. Which was why no one was trying to untie the bindings or stop the demon from possibly torturing him.

"Fantastic," he laughed maniacally, "This is just great, really, _really_ great." Turning his head to look at the demon beside him–which was in the process of filing its teeth against its nail–he sneered, "And I bet you knew this all along, didn't you? Great. Just _superb._ And what else do you know that you don't plan on telling me, hmm? That I'm actually crazy?"

"No," a voice–distinctly humanly male and not demonic at all–replied. "You don't need a demon to confirm the obvious."

The demon spun around, shaking its spike ball of a head side to side in search of the source of the voice when a sudden whistling sound pierced the air followed by a sickening _snap_ as the head of the demon was lobbed off. Simon had to blink twice in order to confirm that no, his eyes weren't deceiving him. Because before him stood a tall muscular angel with golden hair and eyes that flashed ocher with the light that played off of it. Slowly, the angel–who was donning a stained, ripped button down t-shirt and black dress pants with scuffed bloodstained dress shoes–turned his head to the side and looked at Simon curiously.

"Really? Resorting to talking to a demon?" Jace asked, no obvious sarcasm in his tone. "Only an hour or so and already showing signs of Stockholm syndrome. Clearly you need to learn how to hold your ground better or else you'll end up inside a white room with padded walls."

"How do you know what my bedroom looks like?" Simon shot back, earning himself a smile from Jace as he worked on cutting the rope that held Simon in place with the same knife he used to kill the demon. "And I just learned something that might be helpful or not: no one can see the demons but us."

"That so?" Jace grunted as he sawed the last bit of rope off with the same crusty knife he had used to kill the demon. When the rope snapped, Jace straightened up and beamed as Simon collapsed momentarily, only to stand up on his own again. "Well then, we must take that up to Magnus. I'm sure he'd love to hear that."

"You know, I can never tell if you ever take a break from being sarcastic or not," Simon admitted after scrutinizing Jace's impassive expression for a minute.

"Well, take a look at the big picture and then it'll be much clearer to you once you see it," Jace smirked as he pointed at the screen where Simon's face was being displayed. Following Jace's finger, Simon gasped when he saw it: the camera had zoomed out so it showed the whole smokestack so that Simon was represented with a few pixels and that no one else was next to him.

* * *

Clary watched in amazement as Simon and Jace managed their way down from the smokestack–with the assistance of a glittery blue cloud encasing them both–and sprinted through the crowd until she reached the wide berth beneath the smokestack where Magnus was struggling to bring the two boys down safely with the assistance of Alec. Braving a step forward, Clary took her mother's hand in hers and rested the other on Magnus' other shoulder.

The draw this time was instant; she felt all the energy that was coursing through her veins all flood through her arm in an almost burning sensation as it visibly left her body in a silver wispy tendril that connected her to Magnus. She sucked in her lower lip to keep from crying out and glanced over her shoulder to see Jocelyn's expression mirroring her own.

After a few minutes, two thumps on the ground alerted the foursome that the boys were now on the ground. With a heavy sigh of relief, Magnus absorbed the remainder of the cloud into his body and had to steady himself on a nearby wall.

"We have to go now," Magnus ordered, wincing when he heard his own voice falter at the last word. "I can't keep the glamour up for much longer."

"Glamour…?" Clary asked, looking around at the other three faces for any clue.

"I'll explain later," Jace replied, grabbing Magnus' hand with one hand and Clary's with his other. "But now we need to get to a room and _fast_."

"We can use ours," Jocelyn offered as she took Clary's hand. Clary shot her mom a cursory glance before she nodded and dragged the rest of the group behind her as they wove their way through the crowd, not stopping once until the bedroom door was shut behind the last member of the group.

"Glamours may or may not have made everything simpler," Jace explained the moment everyone had settled down, "since they provide a cloaking effect over whoever is casting the glamour. Demons, for one, love to use them all the time whether they know it or not. However, they can turn it off at will as well."

He paused and glanced around, scrutinizing everyone's reaction to the news and making note of it all. "Alec, Izzy and I already know of this but sometimes it's hard to not lose ourselves in the moment since we have to keep this whole thing as 'hush hush' as possible. Especially when it comes to seeing the ones we love and care about being put in dangerous scenarios with normal people who can see only half of what we can see."

When Jace made a point of this by staring directly at Simon for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to Clary, Simon realized just how much his sister meant to this almost stranger. In any normal given situation, he would've considered Jace's strong feelings to be very stalkerish to say the least. But the ordeal they were going through was _vastly_ far from the norm and the fact that any life could be snuffed out in the blink of an eye was the exception to this situation. And for this reason and this reason alone, Simon decided that the typical norm didn't apply to this romance. And so he promised himself that from this moment onwards, he would try to be as little of a pain in the ass for his sister as possible.

"So what's the game plan then?" Jocelyn spoke loudly, anger clear in her voice. "How are we going to defeat these…things?"

"With these." Stepping forward, Magnus snapped his fingers and everyone gaped as several blades appeared hovering in mid-air.

"Are those…_kitchen knives_?" Clary asked incredulously. Curiously, she held out a hand and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of a cleaver. The moment her hand touched the knife, the weight of it temporarily stunned her mainly because she wasn't used to having solid things popping out of thin-air.

"Straight out of Chef Lionel's secret stash," Magnus said thunderously with a bow. "Because of the little distraction that Simon created––thank you for that, by the way––no one was around to notice. No big ideal, really. I'm sure Lionel won't mind."

"You're welcome, I guess," Simon shrugged as he took the bread cutter knife Clary handed him. Clary watched as Simon frowned slightly and couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled out of her chest when Simon added, "You know, I thought we were going to use something a little more…I don't know, specific. Like demon killing blades from another planet or something."

"They have those for the exceptional killers," Magnus said with a look of undisguised disdain on his face. "They're called seraph blades. But if you were to breathe on them or even look at them for more than a second, your eyes would burn as if they were staring into the purest light of the sun––and that's if you're lucky enough to avoid immediate death."

"I'll stick with these then," Simon rasped, his skin a comically paler shade than normal. "I mean, it's not like they're _completely_ useless, right?"

"They'll do," Clary promised as she put a supportive hand on Simon's shoulder. After giving him a reassuring smile, Clary turned her gaze towards her mother.

Ever since her experience in the boiler room, Clary couldn't shake the fact that Valentine––the man her mother dated before meeting Luke––was the same man who was more than capable of doing such inhumane things. The only reason she didn't bring this up to her mom was because there simply wasn't enough time to spend discussing her mom's and possibly her own past. The longer they spent in the room not slaying the demons that lurked inside the ship amounted to more wasted time.

So she bit her tongue, even when the words themselves seemed to want to burst right out of her. "Jace," Clary said instead, "how are we going to split up the group? By pairs?"

Jace––who had been carefully watching Jocelyn––glanced up at the sound of his name and when he saw the look Clary was giving her mother, felt somewhat more relieved. He knew that Clary knew who Valentine was and wasn't sure how she was coping with the news since finding out. But judging from the silent messages she was relaying to her mom, she was doing the right thing by pushing the questions aside as to avoid distractions while the fight had yet to be over. But that didn't mean she was going to feign ignorance until then, and that much was clear to anyone who looked at the way Clary looked at her mother.

"Pairs would be better," he answered, making sure to lock his gaze with Clary. "And I want you to be my partner."

* * *

**Jace: You owed us this much, Nixie.**

**Clary: Yeah, seriously. Way to back out on a promise!**

**Simon: And I just hate you for making me look like a total wimp compared to everyone else.**

**Me: HEY! Stop hating on me! I tried okay? And Simon, for that, pants ninjas will steal your pants in the next chapter update!**

**Izzy: Pants ninjas as in…?**

**Me: You'll all see, don't worry!**

**Jace: And if we don't want to?**

**Me: Then suffer!**

**Alec: Oh, that's hardly fair! First you barely update anymore and now this? What more could you possibly harm?**

**Me: I would list it all, but unfortunately, I wouldn't have enough memory in my hard drive if I did.**

**Simon: Double ouch, man.**

**Me: Mhm, so you better all review or else Simon gets pants! (Or you can all still review and he'll still get pants-ed!)**


End file.
